AMS signed "Henry W. Longfellow," one page, 5 x 8, November 18, 1880. Longfellow pens one of his most famous poems, "The Arrow and the Song," in full: "I shot an arrow into the air, / It fell to earth, I knew not where; / For, so swiftly it flew, the sight / Could not follow it in its flight. / I breathed a song into the air, / It fell to earth, I knew not where; / For who has sight so keen and strong, / That it can follow the flight of song? / Long, long afterward, in an oak / I found the arrow, still unbroke; / And the song, from beginning to end, / I found again in the heart of a friend." Longfellow signs again on the adjoining leaf: "With Mr. Longfellow's compliments." In very fine condition.
First published in The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems (1846), "The Arrow and the Song" is one of Longfellow's most famous and beloved poems. The poet recorded its composition in a journal entry of October 16, 1845: 'Before church, wrote The Arrow and the Son, which came into my mind as I stood with my back to the fire, and glanced on to the paper with arrow's speed. Literally an improvisation.'
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