The Happiest Land by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
At an alehouse on the Rhine, four men drink wine while a Swabian, a Saxon, and a Bohemian each praise his own homeland. The landlord's daughter ends their dispute by raising her hand toward heaven and declaring it the happiest land.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Ballad, Narrative Poetry · 348 words
First lines
There sat one day in quiet, / By an alehouse on the Rhine, / Four hale and hearty fellows, / And drank the precious wine.
The landlord's daughter filled their cups, / Around the rustic board / Then sat they all so calm and still, / And spake not one rude word.
Genres
- Ballad — Short rhyming stanzas tell an alehouse dispute through successive speakers, ending with the landlord's daughter's reply.
- Narrative Poetry — The verse follows four men drinking, three boasting about their homelands, and the daughter stopping their contention.
Tags
regional pride · wine · alehouses · heaven
What this Textopian page supports
The Happiest Land is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Ballad, Narrative Poetry
- Length: 348 words
- Structure: 1 section, 8 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
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- Work identity for The Happiest Land by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
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