No Saga taught thee!

Take heed, that in thy verse

Thou dost the tale rehearse,

Else dread a dead man's curse;

For this I sought thee.

"Far in the Northern Land,

By the wild Baltic's strand,

I, with my childish hand,

Tamed the gerfalcon;

And, with my skates fast-bound,

Skimmed the half-frozen Sound,

That the poor whimpering hound

Trembled to walk on.

"Oft to his frozen lair

Tracked I the grisly bear,

While from my path the hare

Fled like a shadow;

Oft through the forest dark

Followed the were-wolf's bark,

Until the soaring lark

Sang from the meadow.

"But when I older grew,

Joining a corsair's crew,

O'er the dark sea flew

This collection brings together Longfellow's best and most famous poems, providing a complete overview of his versatile and multifaceted genius. All the classic Longfellow selections, including "A Psalm of Life, " "The Children's Hour, " and "The Day is Done, " are here, as well as lesser-known but equally worthy poems, like "The Cross of Snow, " a sonnet written in memory of his second wife, who died tragically in a fire. Also included, in their entirety, are his two long narrative masterpieces, "Evangelin and "The Courtship of Miles Standish."One of the most popular poets who ever lived, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was a marvelous storyteller. In addition, his verse expressed his deep sincerity and his uncanny ability to identify with the hearts and passions of those who read and reread his poems.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was perhaps the most admired American writer of the 19th century, and his works were extraordinary bestsellers at home and abroad. Longfellow's immense popularity helped raise the status of poetry in America, and some of his works -- "Hiawatha," "The Wreck of the Hesperus," "Evangeline," "The Courtship of Miles Standish," and "Paul Revere's Ride" -- have become inseparable parts of the American heritage.