From my Arm-Chair by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The children of Cambridge give the speaker a chair made from the chestnut tree he once celebrated in song for his seventy-second birthday. Seated by his hearth, he recalls the tree and the blacksmith's forge, and thanks the children for bringing back memories of his youth through their gift and affection.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Nostalgic Poetry, Tribute · 506 words
First lines
To the Children of Cambridge
Who presented to me on my Seventy-second Birth-day, February 27, 1879, this Chair, made from the Wood of the Village Blacksmith's Chestnut Tree.
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The speaker addresses the children directly in rhymed stanzas expressing his personal response to their gift.
- Nostalgic Poetry — The chair prompts recollections of the chestnut blossoms, falling nuts, children's voices, and sounds of the blacksmith's forge.
- Tribute — The closing stanzas thank the children for their love and remembrance, which give the old wood renewed life in song.
Tags
birthday gifts · chestnut trees · childhood memories · gratitude · blacksmiths
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From my Arm-Chair is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Nostalgic Poetry, Tribute
- Length: 506 words
- Structure: 1 section, 14 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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