The Courtship of Miles Standish
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27th, 1807 in Portland, Maine. As a young boy, it was obvious that he was very studious and he quickly became fluent in Latin. He published his first poem, "The Battle of Lovell's Pond", in the Portland Gazette on November 17th, 1820. He was already thinking of a career in literature and, in his senior year, wrote to his father: "I will not disguise it in the least... the fact is, I most eagerly aspire after future eminence in literature, my show more whole soul burns most ardently after it, and every earthly thought centers in it...." After graduation travels in Europe occupied the next three years and he seemed to easily absorb any language he set himself to learn. On September 14th, 1831, Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter. They settled in Brunswick. His first published book was in 1833, a translation of poems by the Spanish poet Jorge Manrique. He also published a travel book, Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea. During a trip to Europe Mary became pregnant. Sadly, in October 1835, she miscarried at some six months. After weeks of illness she died, at the age of 22 on November 29th, 1835. Longfellow wrote "One thought occupies me night and day... She is dead - She is dead All day I am weary and sad". In late 1839, Longfellow published Hyperion, a book in prose inspired by his trips abroad. Ballads and Other Poems was published in 1841 and included "The Village Blacksmith" and "The Wreck of the Hesperus". His reputation as a poet, and a commercial one at that, was set. On May 10th, 1843, after seven years in pursuit of a chance for new love, Longfellow received word from Fanny Appleton that she agreed to marry him. On November 1st, 1847, the epic poem Evangeline was published. In 1854, Longfellow retired from Harvard, to devote himself entirely to writing. The Song of Haiwatha, perhaps his best known and enjoyed work was published in 1855. On July 10th, 1861, after suffering horrific burns the previous day. In his attempts to save her Longfellow had also been badly burned and was unable to attend her funeral. He spent several years translating Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It was published in 1867. Longfellow was also part of a group who became known as The Fireside Poets which also included William Cullen Bryant, John Greenleaf Whittier, James Russell Lowell, and Oliver Wendell Holmes Snr. Longfellow was the most popular poet of his day. As a friend once wrote to him, "no other poet was so fully recognized in his lifetime". Some of his works including "Paul Revere's Ride" and "The Song of Haiwatha" may have rewritten the facts but became essential parts of the American psyche and culture. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow died, surrounded by family, on Friday, March 24th, 1882. He had been suffering from peritonitis. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
I found this poem a bit disappointing. I am glad I read it as its plot is part of the local history of Massachusetts, dealing as it does with the Pilgrims first few years in Plymouth, and I have seen parts of the poem quoted many times before (especially Priscilla's remark to John Alden). However, I found the poetry itself lacking a bit compared to other of Longfellow's works.
An old book with the beautiful illustrations by NC Wyeth. Preface by Longfellow who says that he was a direct descendant of Priscilla and John Alden (The subject of the book). Is it verse...is it prose? It is certainly not rhyming verse but obviously designed to be read as verse. An interesting story with the conflict between old friends: Miles Standish the old soldier and John Aldren ...the bookish winner in the contest for Priscilla's hand. I was not especially taken with the poem itself. Ok, but didn't especially grab me. But I really bought it for the illustrations and some of these are great...some rather ordinary.
I enjoyed this as an audio book on LibriVox. I appreciated all of the beautiful imagery as well as the many allusions to the Bible.
It started well, but drained away with little interest for the culmination of this pilgrim love story.
A bit too thick to listen to- better to read the book.
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Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1907
- People/Characters
- Miles Standish; John Alden; Priscilla Mullins
- Important places
- Plymouth Colony; Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA; Massachusetts, USA
- Related movies
- Wishbone" Bone of Contention (IMDb)
- First words
- In the Old Colony days, in Plymouth the land of the Pilgrims,
To and fro in a room of his simple and primitive dwelling,
Clad in doublet and hose, and boots of Cordovan leather,
Strode, with a martial air, Miles Stan... (show all)dish the Puritan Captain. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)So through the Plymouth woods passed onward teh bridal procession.
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- Members
- 323
- Popularity
- 98,170
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.31)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 24
- ASINs
- 34
