Born into a prominent family on February 27, 1807, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow grew up in the bustling town of Portland, Maine. His parents Stephen and Zilpah Longfellow provided a strong, but refined, Puritan background, while encouraging Henry to excel in academics (Wagenknecht 2). Longfellow's education began early, when he was enrolled in an "old-fashioned 'dame' school" (Wagenknecht 4) at the age of three. His schooling continued in 1815 with his entrance into the Portland Academy. At the age of

Toiling, --rejoicing, --sorrowing,

In stanzas two and three Longfellow praises the blacksmith's honesty and virtue while describing the rhythmical nature of his life. His life is a cycle; he toils "week in, week out, from morn till night" to satisfy his customers and support his family (13). The "heavy sledge"(15) swung with "measured beat and slow"(16) is a symbol of his infallibility and strength; no matter what is happening in the world around him, he is in his smithy working. His presence is a constant reminder to those around him that life is meaningful.

A popular poet, Longfellow deals "with important subjects clearly and forthrightly while adopting a frankly didactic and inspirational tone" (Allabeck 118). He uses simple language; he once stated that if a poet "wishes the world to listen and be edified, he will do well to choose a language that is generally understood" (Allabeck 119). Although only a "second class poet," his ability to capture his readers' interest and appeal to their emotions has made Longfellow a staple figure in the hearts of his followers (Hearn 485). He writes to inspire and improve society using "metrical regularity" and "careful rhyme" to emphasize his idea that life is meaningful (Allabeck 118). The rhythmic cadence in "A Psalm of Life," "The Village Blacksmith," and "The Rainy Day" suggests that the lives of men are characterized by distinct cycles.

Harvard University offered Longfellow the "Smith Professorship of French and Spanish" in 1834 and he, again, traveled to Europe (Wagenknecht 5). His wife of four years, Mary Storer Potter, accompanied him on the trip. While they were in the Netherlands, Mary "suffered a miscarriage" and died weeks later from the extreme trauma (Wagenknecht 5). Longfellow spent the winter grieving, but met his second wife, Fanny Appleton, in Switzerland the next spring. They were married in the summer of 1843, and Fanny bore nine children before her tragic death on July 9, 1861. He grieved tremendously for his wife of eighteen years, but took comfort in their children and his memories of their life together. Longfellow continued to write poetry and in 1868 he received honorary degrees at Oxford and Cambridge from Queen Victoria. His health began to fail in 1881, and he died of peritonitis on March 24, 1882. A bust of Longfellow was mounted in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in 1884 as a tribute to the outstanding writer. He is the only non-British author to be awarded

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Approximate Word count = 1660
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)