Perserverence Is Key To Success

“What a writer asks of his reader is not so much to like as to listen.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

 

Born on Feb. 27, 1807, Longfellow may be the only American poet to ever have a rock song written about him.  Neil Diamond's 1974 hit, “Longfellow Serenade,” and his reverence for Longfellow only echoes the reverence people had for the man when he was living in the mid-19^th Century.

Longfellow wrote many lyric poems often known for their musicality and for presenting stories of mythology and legend, including the renowned Song of Hiawatha and the favorite of school children almost from its first day, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. 

                 He was the most popular American poet of his day and also had success overseas.  So admired in the U.S. that his poems commanded huge fees for the time, young people turned out to welcome him much like rock stars of today are greeted when they come to town.  His 70^th birthday took on the air of a national holiday, with parades, speeches, and the reading of his poetry. 

Although a “rock star” at the end, the beginning of his career started more slowly.  “Overnight success” didn’t come until he’d been writing for more than 20 years.  “Perserverance is a great element of success,” he said.  “If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody eventually.”

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