Longfellow's Night Poems: Hymn to the Night and A Psalm of Life

Hymn to the Night and the Voices of the Night Collection. This poem appeared in Longfellow's first book, Voices of the Night, where it immediately followed the "Prelude" in which he recalled sweet childhood visions but recognized that he must now confront adult cares and awareness of mortality—taking into his heart and expressing in his verse "All solemn Voices of the Night, / That can soothe thee, or affright." His poems would acknowledge the fearful and melancholy moods he shared with his readers, but they would also echo the night's soothing voice more than its dismaying ones.

Personification of Night as a Goddess-like Figure. "Hymn to the Night" personifies Night as a goddess-like woman. Although her skirts are "sable," there is nothing gothic in Longfellow's evocation of her darkness; those skirts are "fringed with light" reflected from "marble halls" and "celestial walls" that suggest the heavenly origin of this visitor, whom the speaker hears and feels more than sees. Sensing her presence, he experiences a "spell of might" and loving comfort.

Sustained by her support, he hears "sounds of sorrow and delight" but draws "repose" from the trustful mood evoked by Night's gift for mediating griefs and even transforming them into beauty. After recounting his experience in the first four stanzas, the speaker responds in the last two with prayer directed to "holy Night," a prayer of devotion and gratitude more than of invocation. Rather than asking for release from care, he gives thanks for confidence that he can "learn to bear / What man has borne before." Having experienced peace, he prays that it continue.

Romantic Mode and Lyricism. As a lyric poem in the romantic mode, "Hymn to the Night" recalls a setting or situation and evokes a mood. Longfellow's goal was to summon feelings of peace such as he claimed to have experienced during this night vision. The title word hymn suggests a worshipful mood, and his personification of Night lifts the reader's thoughts toward heaven or perhaps some mythic Elysium better suited to the speaker's likening of himself in the last stanza to Orestes in Greek mythology.

For Discussion or Writing
1. Why do you suppose Longfellow chose to personify night as a woman, and what textual details in this poem help you to imagine this figure? How does she interact with Care? How else might night be personified—perhaps by a gothic or a comic writer? How does the feminine presence in this poem differ from that expressed by Poe in "To Helen"?

2. Make note of all the rhymes you find in this poem. Do they seem predictable, or do you find any of them surprising? How many other rhyme words can you think of for Night, and what would be the effect of substituting one or more of those at specific points in this poem?

3. What elements of this poem remind you that it was written a long time ago? How well does it address today's anxieties and the darkness people confront today?

A Psalm of Life: Biblical Tradition and Internal Dialogue. Although Longfellow referred to several poems in Voices of the Night as "psalms," this is the only one he directly titled to show its relation to biblical tradition. As the psalms of David expressed many moods, including anger, dread, and gratitude, this poem conveys its author's sometimes contradictory feelings. It differs from scriptural psalms, however, in not being a prayer addressed to God but a sort of one-sided debate. Longfellow's subtitle, "What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist," suggests an internal dialogue between his role as poet/psalmist and his personal feelings as an ambitious and still relatively young person attempting to find his place in the world.

The Psalmist's Melancholy versus the Young Man's Rejoinder. The speaker's retort to advice the psalmist has presumably given in "mournful numbers" suggests to us the melancholy burden of wisdom that mature counselors sometimes transmit to youth: "Life is but an empty dream"; "Dust thou art to dust returnest." Attentive readers of Longfellow's poetry recognize in the psalmist's message the poet's knowledge of sorrows, disappointments, and anxieties that he tried to help readers endure. Yet the young man's rejoinder here speaks for Longfellow also in his determination to make his life matter for his own fulfillment and the good of those he might influence. The voice readers find heartening declares the young man's rejection of the psalmist's doleful perspective.

Poetic Techniques and Exhortation to Action. Longfellow used multiple poetic techniques to lend force to the young speaker's challenge. Imperative verbs introduce the poem ("Tell me not") and recur with increasing force, generally at start of lines ("Be a hero," "Trust no Future," "Let us, then, be up and doing"). Additional emphasis results from frequent exclamation points and from the driving trochaic rhythm Longfellow chose in reversal of familiar iambic patterns.

Also emphatic is the speaker's habit of refuting advice that discourages hope. If the psalmist warns that life leads inexorably to death, the young man rejoins that the soul remains immortal. If life is a struggle, then he urges bold resistance. Rather than yield to anxiety, he counsels valiant action. However dispiriting the general condition of men and women may be, "Lives of great men all remind us" of human potential for noble achievement and of the possibility that one's individual quest for glory may inspire others. The poem ends with the famous exhortation to action, effort, achievement, and a bit surprisingly, patience.

For Discussion or Writing
1. Discuss the simile of "Footprints on the sands of time" that Longfellow develops in stanzas 7 and 8. How much comfort does this figure of speech convey if studied carefully?

2. This poem reflects the "can-do" American spirit of the Jacksonian era, when it was written, but cultural historians tell us that the period was also characterized by frequent business failures, by medical and public health problems leading to widespread early deaths, and by high levels of anxiety among people striving either to better their condition or to stave off loss of status. The popularity of "A Psalm of Life" suggests that Longfellow responded to mixed feelings among his readers. How do the two voices in this poem articulate different responses to life's problems, and do you find either voice fully convincing?

3. How well do you think Longfellow's attitudes and advice in "A Psalm of Life" suit conditions young Americans face today?

Critical Analysis of Longfellow’s "The Wreck of the Hesperus"

The Evolution of Narrative Poetry and Balladry. Storytelling emerged as one of the central poetic strengths of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Although long narrative poems such as Evangeline and The Song of Hiawatha eventually became his most popular writings for nineteenth-century readers, his initial experiments in versified storytelling took the distinct form of literary ballads. Works such as "The Wreck of the Hesperus" (1841) and "The Skeleton in Armor" were published in his prominent collection Ballads and Other Poems. This stylistic development aligned with broader Romantic literary tastes, which had reawakened interest in English and Scottish folk ballads compiled by Thomas Percy and Sir Walter Scott. Furthermore, Longfellow had developed a strong fondness for German ballad traditions during his European travels. These traditional story-songs related narrative plots briefly—typically beginning near the story's climax—while intentionally dispensing with extensive background information and detailed descriptive prose.

Narrative Economy and Dramatic Structure. In "The Wreck of the Hesperus," Longfellow adheres to classical ballad economy by omitting details regarding the ship's voyage prior to the storm. The narrator leaves readers to deduce the underlying circumstances that compelled the skipper to risk his young daughter's life by taking her on the voyage. Only three primary characters are directly mentioned in the poem, though the line "Then up and spake an old Sailòr" implies the presence of a larger crew. In accordance with established ballad tradition, the author relies heavily on dramatic dialogue to advance the plot:

· First narrative pivot: The skipper scornfully ignores the old sailor's warning to seek shelter from the impending gale.

· Second narrative pivot: The daughter directs three sequential, parallel inquiries to her father concerning alarming sights and sounds in the tempest.

Characterization, Hubris, and Tragedy. Although the skipper's prideful hubris ultimately dooms the vessel, Longfellow assigns him relatively few spoken lines. His overconfidence is revealed through the "scornful laugh" with which he rebuffs the experienced sailor's warning, contrasted with the paternal protectiveness he demonstrates when attempting to reassure his child. Following the tragic reversal marked by the father's death ("A frozen corpse was he"), the daughter appeals to her heavenly father for rescue, yet meets the same tragic fate. The reader ultimately discovers her outcome through the eyes of a local fisherman, who discovers the young maiden's body lashed to the floating wreckage of the ship.

Real-World Origins and Structural Composition. Similar to the singers of traditional folk ballads and authors of broadside verse, Longfellow drew inspiration from a contemporary event: a devastating shipwreck that occurred off the Massachusetts coast just weeks prior to composition in December 1839. The poet noted that the work came to him "not... by lines, but by stanzas" during a single night of intense creative inspiration. Recognizing an opportunity to cultivate a distinct American ballad literature, he adopted the standard quatrain structure of English and Scottish tradition:

· Meter and rhythm: Alternating four-stress (iambic tetrameter) and three-stress (iambic trimeter) lines.

· Rhyme scheme: Traditional ABCB stanzaic rhyme structure where only the second and fourth lines rhyme.

· Diction and style: Rather than employing simple contemporary vocabulary, Longfellow incorporated archaic linguistic qualities that evoked historic story-songs.

Legacy and Questions for Critical Discussion. The pronounced musical qualities of "The Wreck of the Hesperus" made it highly memorable, ensuring its enduring popularity long after Longfellow transitioned to less restrictive narrative forms. For academic study, analytical writing, and textual seminar discussion, consider the following structural and thematic prompts:

1st analysis point: A primary convention of folk ballads is an impersonal narrator representing a public voice rather than personal subjective feelings. How closely does Longfellow adhere to this convention, and which specific passages reveal the narrator's distinct perspective?

2nd analysis point: Why does Longfellow center the narrative emotional weight on the young girl, and what textual evidence highlights her relationship with her father? In what ways does her character parallel other children in classic literature, and how might her backstory be expanded?

3rd analysis point: Compare "The Wreck of the Hesperus" with classic American folk ballads such as "Frankie and Johnny" or English traditional ballads like "Sir Patrick Spens" to identify shared structural and storytelling devices.