Books with title The song of Hiawatha 1900

Initially conceived by Longfellow after reading the works of Henry Rowe Schoolcraft, "The Song of Hiawatha" is an epic poem based on the legends of the Ojibway Indians of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The beautiful descriptions of this part of the United States are intertwined with the story of the Native American Hiawatha. From his youth to his marriage, from his daily existence of gathering food to his participation in the traditions of his people, Longfellow weaves a tale of impressive scope in this lyric work. Ultimately, this poem tells the story of the American Indian, including his habitual life, fight for survival, and gradual disappearance at the arrival of white men.

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Published in 1855, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem “The Song of Hiawatha” has received high critical acclaim from many people of his time. The poem is composed of 22 chapters, which deal with the prophecy that a peace bringer will come, continuing with Hiawatha’s birth and his final resolution. The first two chapters of the poem tell the story about a man called Gitche Manito and his prophecy that a peace bringer will come and bring relief and joy to all the people of the tribe. Then, the legend of Mudjekeewis is told. He is the one who became the Father of Four Winds after defeating the Great Bear from the mountains in a fierce battle. Mudjekeewis goes on two have four suns, each representing a wind. In chapter three – named Unremembered Ages - a woman falls from the Moon. Her name is Nokomis, and soon after she gives birth to Wenonah. The child grows into a beautiful woman who falls in love with the West Wind. Her mother, Nokomis, warns her of the dangers of beings seduces by a wind, but she ignores her mother’s advice. Wenonah then becomes pregnant and she gives birth to the hero Hiawatha. The story of Hiawatha unfolds in the following chapters, from battles with fierce enemies such as the evil magician named Pearl Feather to him falling in love for the beautiful Minnehaha. The poem ends with Hiawatha welcoming a pale face visitor named the Priest of Prayer. This Black Robe chief brings a message about Jesus Christ, a message that is welcomed. Hiawatha then gets on his birch canoe and sails to the west after telling his people to follow the words of the Pale Face. While not entirely accurate historically, Longfellow’s poem, The Song of Hiawatha, has become one of the most important works of the genre in American literature and a must read for any poetry lovers.

The publisher is proud to present this new edition of an old American favorite, authentically and unforgettably illustrated by a distinguished American artist.Artist-illustrator Herbert Meyer's illustrations give new life to Longfellow's epic poem. Besides being warmly evocative, they are historically authentic, for the artist did extensive research on the American Indians. Meyer's artistic vision does full justice to Longfellow's immortal epic, which is not only an American favorite, but is known and admired throughout the world for its hauntingly beautiful poetry.The Song of Hiawatha's particular blend of myth and history, native tradition and foreign influence has survived the years, and its artistic authenticity is undisputed. The same, we hope, can be said for the illustrations of Herbert Meyer, brought to light in this new, digital edition.

In the summer of 1854, Longfellow wrote in his diary: "I have at length hit upon a plan for a poem on the American Indians, which seems to me the right one and the only. It is to weave together their beautiful traditions as whole." What emerged the next year was "The Song of Hiawatha," a composite of legends, folklore, myth, and characters that presents, in short, lilting trochees, the life story of a real Indian, who provides the focus for the narrative thread of this epic drama of high adventure, tragedy, and conflict. The aim was not to tell a particular or specific story, but to unite the strands of various Indian legends, to present a sympathetic portrait of many Native American tribes, and especially to disclose their profound relationship with the natural world.

'This Indian Edda, if I may so call it,' says the author, 'is founded on a tradition, prevalent among the North American Indians, of a personage of miraculous birth, who was sent among them to clear their rivers, forests, and fishing-grounds, and to teach them the arts of peace. He was known among different tribes by the several names of Michabou, Chiabo, Manabozho, Tarcuyawagon, and Hiawatha. ' We are further informed, that 'the scene of the poem is among the Ojibways on the southern shore of Lake Superior, in the region between the Pictured Rocks and the Grand Sable.' Here then, at last, is a genuine American poem, by a native of America; a poem redolent of pine-forests and the smoke of wigwams. ' In reading American poetry, we never get beyond the shores of Kent,' said a surly critic some years ago. It is obvious enough, that if this complaint was justifiable then, it is utterly without foundation now. Longfellow's poem created an immense and instant sensation, not only in this country, but in England. It was read, it was quoted, it was praised, it was ridiculed, it was dramatized, it was parodied, it was attacked as a plagiarism. It remains to this day the most parodied poem in the English language.

The Song of Hiawatha was written in 1855 by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. It combines Native American legends and the American Romantic style of literature into a stunning epic poem that has captured readers for generations. In this version, we present only the poem with nothing to distract and we have used fonts from an original printing to give it the feel a true classic. Will you be the next reader to be captured by The Song of Hiawatha?