HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Journal, February 24, 1847

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Journal, February 24, 1847

In Hexameter sings serenely a
    Harvard professor;
In Pentameter him damns censorious Poe.

Well aware of Poe’s constant criticism, Longfellow privately celebrated his own inclination to avoid public debates. The form of this observation suggests that Longfellow was familiar with Poe’s focus not only on plagiarism but also on the Serene One’s allegedly faulty use of hexameters (metrical lines consisting of six feet).

Harvard College, Houghton Library Repository

HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW, Journal, February 24, 1847

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Journal, February 24, 1847

      In my afternoon’s walk, changed it, and added three more.

                                                              I.
In Hexameter plunges the headlong cataract downward;
    In Pentameter up whirls the eddying mist.

                                                             II.
In Hexameter rolls sonorous the peal of the Organ;
    In Pentameter soft rises the chant of the choir.

                                                            III.
In Hexameter gallops delighted a beggar on horseback;
In Pentameter, whack! tumbles he off of his steed.

                                                           IV.
In Hexameter sings serenely a Harvard Professor;
    In Pentameter him Damns censorious Poe.