The Village Blacksmith
Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a might man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawney arms
Are strong as iron bands.
His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns what'er he can,
And looks the whole word in the face,
For he owes not any man.
Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear the bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his might sledge,
With measure beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.
And children coming home from school
Look in the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar.
And catch the flaming sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing floor.
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 choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.
It sounds to him like his 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 hands he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.
Toiing, -- rejoicing, -- sorrowing,
Onward in life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned his night's repose.
Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou has taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
D'autres poésies de Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Bridge
I stood on the bridge at midnight,
As the clocks were...
The Belfrey of Bruges
In the market-place of Bruges stands the belfrey old and brown;...
The Arsenal at Springfield
This is the Arsenal. From floor to ceiling,
Like a huge...
The Arrow and the Song
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not...
Thangbrand the Priest
Short of stature, large of limb,
Burly face and russet...
Tegner's Drapa
Heard a voice, that cried,
"Balder the Beautiful
Is...
Sunrise on the Hills
I stood upon the hills, when heaven's wide arch
Was...
Sundown
The summer sun is sinking low;
Only the tree-tops redden...
St. John's, Cambridge
I stand beneath the tree, whose branches shade
Thy western...
Spirit of Poetry, The
There is a quiet spirit in these woods,
That dwells...
Précédentes poésies
Words of Comfort to Be Scratched on a Mirror
Helen of Troy had a wandering glance;
Sappho's restriction...
Wisdom
This I say, and this I know:
Love has seen the last of...
Walter Savage Landor
Upon the work of Walter Landor
I am unfit to write with...
Wail
Love has gone a-rocketing.
That is not the worst;
I...
Victoria
Dear dead Victoria
Rotted cosily;
In excelsis...

