A PETER PAUPER PRESS BOOK - Selected Poems - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Oct 13, 2026

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Volume introduction by editor C. Merton Babcock presents Henry Wadsworth Longfellow as a widely loved American poet whose sincerity and simplicity capture readers’ minds and hearts. It highlights how his “impassioned experiences” guide people from earthly cares toward transcendent truths. The text emphasizes his themes of home, human mysteries, natural beauty, the sea, death, and the soul, and notes his role as “the national bard.” The editor also explains that space limitations exclude long narrative poems and invites readers to seek the complete works for Longfellow’s inward serenity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Longfellow’s popularity and style

Themes in his poetry

Editorial note on excluded poems

答. mnYHenry WadsworthLONGFELLOWwSelected Poems232013刘W1回回口u出*tit、h(以角山3800luhhA1000A # A PETER PAUPER PRESS BOOK Digitized by the Internet Archivein 2018 with funding fromKahle/Austin Foundation https://archive.org/details/isbn 0880884053 Henry Wadsworth LONCFELLOWSelected Poems Edited and with an Introductionby C.Merton BabcockIllustrations by Wendy Watson The Peter Pauper Press New York·New York COPYRIGHT1982BY THEPETER PAUPERPRES S FOR EWOR D Henry Wadsworth Longfellow(1807-1882),the most popular of American poets,wasable to capture the minds and hearts of hisreaders by the steadfast sincerity of his con-victions and the disarming simplicity of hisverses.His own“impassioned experiences”equipped him with an enviable power forturning men from the burdens of their earth-ly cares to a contemplation of the highesttranscendent truths.As poet of the hearthand home,of the mysteries and enigmas ofhuman experience,of natural beauty,of thesea,of death,and of the soul,he endearedhimself to lovers of poetry around the world.As defender of such American ideals and as-pirations as optimism,perfectibility,passionfor truth,devotion to God,and love of coun-try,he became distinguished as "the nationalbard."Because of the earnestness and dig-nity and grace which Longfellow brought tohis art,the verses have been inscribed on thememories of all Americans,and have becomea veritable folklore of treasured sentimentsand respected traditions.For sheer beauty, few poems in the English language rival thesustained harmonies and rhapsodies of manyof Longfellow's lyrics.As we read them,"thetumult of the time disconsolate to inarticu-late murmurs dies away." Space limitations forbid the inclusion in thisvolume of the long narrative poems forwhich the author is so well remembered.Many readers will want to avail themselvesof the complete works in order to discoverthat inward serenity which is Longfellow'sunmistakable signature. THE EDITOR

FAQs

Who edited the Selected Poems and provided the introduction?

The Selected Poems were edited and introduced by C. Merton Babcock, according to the front matter.

What qualities does the introduction credit to Longfellow’s poetry?

It credits his steadfast sincerity, disarming simplicity, and the power of his “impassioned experiences.”

Why are the long narrative poems not included in this volume?

The editor states that space limitations forbid including the long narrative poems, and suggests readers use the complete works instead.

Oct 13, 2026

Upload by ahduag