Longfellow, the poet, tears off fabulous metaphors. He also tears at my heart as he mirrors my love life. Readers love the double whammy, as Longfellow’s metaphors invokes fabulous imagery; all of which sparks up the readers imagination. The sparks, in turn, fire up the consciousness in a way that takes the reader long and far. Longfellow’s poetry guides each reader to his own enchanting (or disturbing) vision. Poetry invoking such creative impulses is lacking in modern day, modem based entertainment; such as video games or comic book movies. To express romantic love, a hundred Instagram photos cannot replace a fourteen line sonnet. And we can look back and thank, among many others, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, was an American Romantic poet, (1818 – 1882). Post: September 2019.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – A Man of Imagery and Imagination
Some of Longfellow’s most haunting, but subtle, imagery is contained in his most famous “passing ships” metaphor. Yet, perusing Longfellow’s poetry offers up many other flame-on passages. Longfellow is celebrated by critics and readers because they can connect to his poems. Here is my story of why I reunited with Longfellow:
I thought I had a new intimate relationship emerging [read: girlfriend]. Instead, I had a ghost. She just stopped responding to my messages. Cold. I hate it when that happens; but I finally got heard the message through the silence. I woke up the following morning thinking of the famous line, “passing ships in the night” by Longfellow. With the penetrating three-minute wisdom of the internet, I traded my own potential perspicasity for a joy ride on the electronic superhighway. In sum, I found the quote in a Google flash. The ‘passing ships’ metaphor is embedded in the following poem:
Poem: “The Theologian’s Tale” from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “Tales of a Wayside Inn.”
“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”
Indeed, I am a ship on the ocean of life – perfect. Here are other examples of imagery and metaphor from Longfellow:
“Men of genius are often dull and inert in society; as the blazing meteor, when it descends to earth, is only a stone.”
“Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.”
“My soul is full of longing
for the secret of the sea,
and the heart of the great ocean
sends a thrilling pulse through me.”
Here is a quote showing that Longfellow is not part of the Instagram generation:
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
A Bonus Quote by W. B. Yeats: While still bemoaning my “lost intimacy opportunity” — that’s so obtuse but sounds less painful than “being dumped by some uppity broad” — I tumbled into the poet Yeats. He was less sentimental than many other poets when he remarked that: “The tragedy of sexual intercourse is the perpetual virginity of the soul.”
Think on these things.
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A little levity lightens up any situation:
Longfellow is well remembered in modern times. For example, from the 1986 Rodney Dangerfield film, “Back to School” here is Longfellow, front and center. Just in case: The Dangerfield character, Thorton Melon, is a middle age man who has enrolled at the local university. He is on the make for the young campus co-eds. Thorton winds up in a hot tub with “Bubbles”:
“- Thornton Melon: What’s your favorite subject?
– Bubbles the Hot Tub Girl: Poetry.
– Thornton Melon: Really? Well, maybe you can help me straighten out my Longfellow.”
See, Longfellow for the ages.
