April 2020 Read: Tales of a Wayside Inn, Part 3

[Joanna]

Please use this thread to discuss the 3rd and final part of Tales of a Wayside Inn. :)

[Joanna]

This is the second time that Longfellow has compared the birds to the poets...this is beautiful!

"That birds have souls I can concede,"
The Poet cried, with glowing cheeks;
"The flocks that from their beds of reed
Uprising north or southward fly,
And flying write upon the sky
The biforked letter of the Greeks,
As hath been said by Rucellai;
All birds that sing or chirp or cry,
Even those migratory bands,
The minor poets of the air,
The plover, peep, and sanderling,
That hardly can be said to sing,
But pipe along the barren sands,--
All these have souls akin to ours;
So hath the lovely race of flowers:
Thus much I grant, but nothing more.
The rusty hinges of a door
Are not alive because they creak;
This chimney, with its dreary roar,
These rattling windows, do not speak!"

[Joanna]

I finished part 3 this evening. My favorite in this section is the Theologian's tale, 'Elizabeth'...

"Ah, how short are the days! How soon the night overtakes us!
In the old country the twilight is longer; but here in the forest
Suddenly comes the dark, with hardly a pause in its coming,
Hardly a moment between the two lights, the day and the lamplight;
Yet how grand is the winter! How spotless the snow is, and perfect!"

And this little discussion in the Interlude after the Musician's tale is meaningful as well...

Touched by the pathos of these rhymes,
The Theologian said: "All praise
Be to the ballads of old times
And to the bards of simple ways,
Who walked with Nature hand in hand,
Whose country was their Holy Land,
Whose singing robes were homespun brown
From looms of their own native town,
Which they were not ashamed to wear,
And not of silk or sendal gay,
Nor decked with fanciful array
Of cockle-shells from Outre-Mer."

To whom the Student answered: "Yes;
All praise and honor! I confess
That bread and ale, home-baked, home-brewed,
Are wholesome and nutritious food,
But not enough for all our needs;
Poets--the best of them--are birds
Of passage; where their instinct leads
They range abroad for thoughts and words,
And from all climes bring home the seeds
That germinate in flowers or weeds.
They are not fowls in barnyards born
To cackle o'er a grain of corn;
And, if you shut the horizon down
To the small limits of their town,
What do you but degrade your bard
Till he at last becomes as one
Who thinks the all-encircling sun
Rises and sets in his back yard?"

[Margaret]

That is a beautiful passage from the Theologian's Tale! I love this: "but here in the forest/suddenly comes the dark with hardly a pause in its coming."

I would like to reread these tales just to note how often Longfellow mentions forests and birds.

[Joanna]

Margaret wrote: "That is a beautiful passage from the Theologian's Tale! I love this: "but here in the forest/suddenly comes the dark with hardly a pause in its coming."

I would like to reread these tales just to ..."

That would be interesting! If you do it please let me know! :)

[Ruth]

Prelude:
"All birds that sing or chirp or cry,
Even those migratory bands,
The minor poets of the air,
The *plover, peep, and sanderling,
That hardly can be said to sing,
But pipe along the barren sands,--"

https://pin.it/2OxL54l

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "Prelude:
"All birds that sing or chirp or cry,
Even those migratory bands,
The minor poets of the air,
The *plover, peep, and sanderling,
That hardly can be said to sing,
But pipe along the barren ..."

Oooh, such a cute little fluff-ball! <3

[Ruth]

Meg wrote: "Ruth wrote: "Prelude:
"All birds that sing or chirp or cry,
Even those migratory bands,
The minor poets of the air,
The *plover, peep, and sanderling,
That hardly can be said to sing,
But pipe alon..."

It was too precious, I had to include the
"Little poet" as part of the poem.

[Margaret]

I love this segment from the Prelude, Ruth! And the 'little poet' had to make an appearance, Meg! Too cute!

[Jasmine]

I love birds so much and consider them one of God's greatest parts of creation. They are always singing their praises to the great Creator. I find that they give us a wonderful example.
This is a wonderful portion and I love it. So beautiful and peaceful.

[Jasmine]

Meg wrote: "This is the second time that Longfellow has compared the birds to the poets...this is beautiful!

"That birds have souls I can concede,"
The Poet cried, with glowing cheeks;
"The flocks that from ..."

Yes this is the second time, and is he not beautifully correct for all poetry has the possibility of song. Poetry, at least the poetry of old, lifts our hearts so often, and as does a song can redirect our thoughts.

[Ruth]

Jasmine wrote: "I love birds so much and consider them one of God's greatest parts of creation. They are always singing their praises to the great Creator. I find that they give us a wonderful example.
This is a ..."

This is lovely, Jasmine. 🕊🎶

[Jasmine]

Margaret wrote: "That is a beautiful passage from the Theologian's Tale! I love this: "but here in the forest/suddenly comes the dark with hardly a pause in its coming."

I would like to reread these tales just to ..."

Yes I think that I would like to reread it all again and make the same notations. Forests represent life to me, and I simply enjoy the peace that fills my heart when I hear the songs of the birds.
This is the best theology - the theology of what nature has to share with us about the Creator.

[Joanna]

Jasmine, I am reading all your comments with delight! :) The last few days I have been listening to a Hermit Thrush singing from deep in the woods and I think of these verses every time. What a sweet song, it fills my soul with joy and peace.

[Ruth]

Interlude
"Not so," the eager Poet said;
"At least, not so before I tell
The story of my Azrael,
An angel mortal as ourselves,
Which in an ancient tome I found
Upon a convent's dusty shelves,
Chained with an iron chain, and bound
In parchment, and with clasps of brass,
Lest from its prison, some dark day,
It might be stolen or steal away,
While the good friars were singing mass.
https://pin.it/1Y5iEPg

[Ruth]

And then appeared in panoply complete
The Bishops and the Abbots and the Priests
Of the imperial chapel, and the Counts
And Desiderio could no more endure
The light of day, nor yet encounter death,
But sobbed aloud and said: "Let us go down
And hide us in the bosom of the earth,
Far from the sight and anger of a foe
So terrible as this!" And Olger said:
"When you behold the harvests in the fields
Shaking with fear, the Po and the Ticino
Lashing the city walls with iron waves,
Then may you know that Charlemagne is come.
And even as he spake, in the northwest,
Lo! there uprose a black and threatening cloud,
Out of whose bosom flashed the light of arms
Upon the people pent up in the city;
A light more terrible than any darkness;
And Charlemagne appeared;--a Man of Iron!

Upon my word, this is a formidable sight!

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "Interlude
"Not so," the eager Poet said;
"At least, not so before I tell
The story of my Azrael,
An angel mortal as ourselves,
Which in an ancient tome I found
Upon a convent's dusty shelves,
Chain..."

This is so interesting, Ruth! I would love to visit that library!

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "And then appeared in panoply complete
The Bishops and the Abbots and the Priests
Of the imperial chapel, and the Counts
And Desiderio could no more endure
The light of day, nor yet encounter death,..."

This passage is both grand and terrifying!

[Jasmine]

Does the hermit thrush not have one of the most delightful songs?! They are adorable birds. Their songs lift the heart and raise a smile.

[Joanna]

Jasmine wrote: "Does the hermit thrush not have one of the most delightful songs?! They are adorable birds. Their songs lift the heart and raise a smile."

Yes indeed! If birds are poets, the hermit thrush is the Longfellow of birds. :)

[Ruth]

The Theologian's Tale; Elizabeth

"Ah, how short are the days! How soon the night overtakes us!
In the old country the twilight* is longer; but here in the forest
Suddenly comes the dark, with hardly a pause in its coming,
Hardly a moment between the two lights, the day and the lamplight;
Yet how grand is the winter! How spotless the snow is, and perfect!"
Thus spake Elizabeth Haddon at nightfall to Hannah the housemaid,
As in the farm-house kitchen, that served for kitchen and parlor,
By the window she sat with her work, and looked on a landscape
White as the great white sheet that Peter saw in his vision,
By the four corners let down and descending out of the heavens.
Covered with snow were the forests of pine, and the fields and the meadows.
Nothing was dark but the sky, and the distant Delaware flowing
Down from its native hills, a peaceful and bountiful river.

This is an elegant description of winter.
...
"Hannah the housemaid
Laughed with her eyes, as she listened, but governed her tongue, and was silent..."
This is a good description of Hannah, bursting at the seams to talk.
...
"And Elizabeth answered with confident voice, and serenely
Looking into his face with her innocent eyes as she answered,
"Surely the hand of the Lord is in it; his Spirit hath led thee
Out of the darkness and storm to the light and peace of my fireside."
...(Surprise!) this is a such a sweet scene.

"And Elizabeth said, with a smile of compassion, "The maiden
Hath a light heart in her breast, but her feet are heavy and awkward."
Inwardly Joseph laughed, but governed his tongue, and was silent."
(I love this scene)

This is a beautiful poem.💕

*This reminds me of the Wayside Chat several days ago.

Curiosity led me to find Miss Elizabeth Haddon's photo
https://prabook.com/web/mobile/#!prof...
https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/di...

I haven't found any images of her husband, John Estaugh;
there is a pdf of their marriage certificate under the Reference
of this link:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_...

This photo is of a Yew trees that was planted in
Elizabeth's garden, were brought over from England.
https://digital.librarycompany.org/is...

Meg, did you know that Joanna is a variation of Hannah?

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "The Theologian's Tale; Elizabeth

"Ah, how short are the days! How soon the night overtakes us!
In the old country the twilight* is longer; but here in the forest
Suddenly comes the dark, with har..."

I love this poem! :) Thank you for sharing more about the life of Elizabeth and John Estaugh. I didn't know much about them so it was very interesting! I'm doubtful about the picture though...she died in 1762 which of course was before photography. I actually feel sure I've seen that picture before and now it's driving me crazy because I can't think who it is!! :D

[Ruth]

Meg wrote: "Ruth wrote: "The Theologian's Tale; Elizabeth

"Ah, how short are the days! How soon the night overtakes us!
In the old country the twilight* is longer; but here in the forest
Suddenly comes the d..."

Yes, that was rather suspicious, the antebellum hairstyle
was incongruent with the time. I thought a sketch
would be available, but I haven't found any.

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "Yes, that was rather suspicious, the antebellum hairstyle was incongruent with the time. I thought a sketch
would be available, but I haven't found any...."

Ruth, it finally came to me who the lady in that picture is! Susan Fenimore Cooper, daughter of James Fenimore Cooper!

[Ruth]

Susan Fenimore Cooper. It is funny that the daughter in
photo is of your favorite author- or a favorite. I am
getting the distinct impression that I must read your
recommended book, 😉 I will this year.
I didn't know James Fenimore Cooper had a daughter,
of course , I have yet to delve into Cooper Country.

[Joanna]

Ruth wrote: "Susan Fenimore Cooper. It is funny that the daughter in photo is of your favorite author- or a favorite. I am
getting the distinct impression that I must read your
recommended book, 😉 I will this ..."

It is funny! I wonder how that picture got to be labeled as Elizabeth Estaugh, though! Susan Fenimore Cooper's book, Rural Hours looks really good...I can hardly wait to read it. :)

[Marian]

Finished part 3! I have to say, while "The Mother's Ghost" was awfully dark and sad, it really grabbed me in a way some of the other poems didn't. "The Monk of Casal-Maggiore" was also bizarre, but creative. I was definitely impressed at the range of stories in this book - it must have been quite an interesting project to be writing!

[Joanna]

Marian wrote: "Finished part 3! I have to say, while "The Mother's Ghost" was awfully dark and sad, it really grabbed me in a way some of the other poems didn't. "The Monk of Casal-Maggiore" was also bizarre, but..."

I just read your review, Marian! :) 'The Mother's Ghost' is a very touching poem. I thought 'The Monk of Casal-Maggiore' was kinda funny...I guess it was bizarre too. :D