File:Talks about authors and their work (1899) (14780176004).jpg

Identifier: talksaboutauthor00bloo (find matches)
Title: Talks about authors and their work
Year: 1899 (1890s)
Authors: Bloor, Ella Reeve, 1862-1951
Subjects: Authors, American Authors
Publisher: Chicago : A. Flanagan
Contributing Library: University of California Libraries
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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1882. Nearly all the American poets were born inNew England, and lived near Boston, but Long-fellow did not move to this famous city of greatwriters until he was a young man. He was bornin the town of Portland, Maine, and graduatedat Bowdoin College, at Brunswick. Portland was a lively town, even in the oldtimes, when Longfellow was a boy. It is a sea-port, and there used to be a great trade fromthere with the West India Islands. Brigs wouldcarry out cargoes of lumber and dried fish andbring back rum, molasses and sugar. When aship load of molasses came into Casco Bay thewhole town of Portland would be in an uproar.The colored stevedores would sing as they hoistedthe heavy hogsheads of molasses from the holdof the ship. Maine has always been noted forits trade in lumber, and although more lumber issold there today, there was more noise and bustleabout the business in the old days. Portlandhad many potteries, and a rope-walk, which wasa long, low shed where they made ropes. Spin- (Tl)
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HENRY W. LONGFEI,I<OW. Talks about authors. 73 ning rope in that old fashion is all done awaywith now by the new machines. The boys oftoday would hardly understand what Longfellowmeant by his poem called The Rope-Walk. In that building, long and low,With its windows all a-row, Like the port-holes of a hulk,Human spiders spin and spin,Backward down their threads so thin, Dropping each, a hempen bulk. At the end, an open door.Squares of sunshine on the floor Ivight the long and dusty lane,And the whirring of a wheel.Dull and drowsy makes me feel, All its spokes are in my brain. As the spinners to the endDownward go and re-ascend. Gleam the long threads in the sun,While within this brain of mine,Cobwebs brighter and more fine, By the busy wheels are spun. Then he writes of the visions called np by thespinning of the rope, visions of the differentthings the rope will be used for. He sees girlsswinging; an old farm house, with a womandrawing a bucket of water with ropes; a circus, 74 TA

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