Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

THE VILLAGE BLACKSMITH

HENRY WADSWORTH LongFELLOW

1

Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,

With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

2

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,

His face is like the tan;

His brow is wet with honest sweat,

He earns whate'er he can,

And looks the whole world in the face, For he owes not any man.

3

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

4

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing floor.

5

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;

He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,

And it makes his heart rejoice.

6

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!

He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;

And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought!

Historical:

HELPS TO STUDY

The "village smithy" stood "under a spreading chestnut tree' in Brattle Street, Cambridge, not far from the Longfellow home. In time it gave place to a dwelling-house, and the

chestnut tree had to be cut down. On the morning this event took place every one came out to see the wood choppers at work and to see the old tree, immortalized by the poet, tumble over. It was

a great event in the village and Longfellow felt very sad.

On his seventy-second birthday, an arm-chair made out of the wood of the old chestnut tree was presented to Longfellow by the children of Cambridge. It was carved with horse chestnuts. One stanza of the poem was inscribed upon it:

"And children coming home from school

Look in at the open door;

They love to see the flaming forge,

And hear the bellows roar,

And catch the burning sparks that fly

Like chaff from a threshing-floor."

A brass plate on the chair bore this inscription:

"To the author of 'The Village Blacksmith,' this chair, made from the wood of the spreading chestnut tree, is presented as an expression of grateful regard and veneration by the children of Cambridge, who, with their friends, join in the best wishes and congratulations on this anniversary, February 27, 1879."

This remembrance was very pleasing to Longfellow, who in reply to the children wrote the poem, "From My Arm-chair.''

Notes and Questions

What picture does the first

stanza give you?

What does the second stanza add

to your picture?

What reason does the poet give for saying, "For he owes not any man''?

In the third stanza what things

are compared?

What habits of the blacksmith

does this stanza tell you about? What comparison is used in the fourth stanza?

What lesson has the blacksmith taught?

What is compared with "the flaming forge''? With the sounding anvil''?

What is "the flaming forge of life''?

Notice that when a comparison is direct, the figure of speech is called a metaphor, e. g., "the flaming forge of life." But when like or as is used the comparison is indirect and the figure of speech is called a simile, e. g., "like chaff from a threshing floor."

[blocks in formation]

3

By day its voice is low and light;
But in the silent dead of night,
Distinct as a passing footstep's fall
It echoes along the vacant hall,
Along the ceiling, along the floor,

And seems to say, at each chamber-door,— "Forever-never!

Never-forever!"

4

Through days of sorrow and of mirth,
Through days of death and days of birth,
Through every swift vicissitude

Of changeful time, unchanged it has stood,
And as if, like God, it all things saw,
It calmly repeats those words of awe,-
"Forever-never!

Never-forever!"

5

In that mansion used to be
Free-hearted Hospitality;

His great fires up the chimney roared;
The stranger feasted at his board;
But, like the skeleton at the feast,
That warning timepiece never ceased,-
"Forever-never!

Never-forever!"

6

There groups of merry children played, There youths and maidens dreaming strayed. O precious hours! O golden prime,

And affluence of love and time!

« AnteriorContinuar »