IPS 2267 
 
 PI 
 1905 
 'Copy 1 
 
Class TS^^^^ 
 
 Book._ • 
 
 Copyright )j^. 
 
 {<i^0 \ 
 
 COPYRIGHT DEP0S5T. 
 
HIAWATHA 
 
 PART I 
 
 X 
 
 NOTES BY W. F, ROCHELEAU 
 
 author of 
 
 "Great American Industries," "The Geography of Commerce ani> 
 
 Industry." "Fables and Tales," and "Notes on Evangeline, 
 
 Snowbound, Enoch Arden and Rip Van Winkle." 
 
 CHICAGO 
 ORVILLE BREWER PUBLISHING CO., 
 
 1905 
 
T-^ 
 
 Lf>-' 
 
 
 LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
 Two Copies Received 
 
 DEC 8 1905 
 
 ^Copyrieht Entry 
 CLASS CL XXC. No. 
 COPY B. 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1905, 
 BY ORVILtE BREWER. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Longfellow, Biographical Sketch . . v 
 
 Hiawatha 
 
 Introduction" . • • . 1 
 
 I. The Peace Pipe . . .5 
 
 11. The Four Winds ... 9 
 
 III. Hiawatha's Childhood . . 18 
 
 IV. Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis . 'a5 
 V. Hiawatha's Fasting . . 33 
 
 VI. Hiawatha's Friends . . 41 
 
 VII. Hiawatha's Sailing . . .46 
 
 VIII. Hiawatha's Fishing . . 50 
 
 IX. Hiawatha and the Pearl Feather . 57 
 
 X. Hiawatha's Wooing . . 66 
 
 Introduction to Notes . . . .74 
 
 Notes ...... 75 
 
 Glossary . . . . .86 
 
LONGFELLOW 
 
 A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 
 
 Henry W. Longfellow, America's most popular poet, was born in 
 Portland, Me., Feb. 22, 1807. His father was a graduate of Harvard 
 College and one of the leading lawyers of the town, and was at one 
 time a member of Congress. His mother, Zilpah Wordsworth, was a 
 descendant from John Alden and Priscilla Mullens whom the poet 
 immortalized in The Courtship of Miles Standish. We know but lit- 
 tle of Longfellow's childhood and youth. He spent his early years 
 amid the charming scenery of Portland and its surroundings, with 
 an occasional visit to the forests of Maine, where some of his mother's 
 relatives lived. His recollections of Portland form a good part of the 
 charming poem. My Lost Youth, and from his sojourn in the Maine 
 woods he was enabled to describe the ^^ forest primeval" with which 
 he introduces us to the abode of Evangeline. 
 
 At the age of fifteen we find Longfellow a student in Bowdoin 
 College. Among his classmates were Nathaniel Haw^thorne, John S. 
 C. Abbott, and a number of others who became prominent in litera- 
 ture, law or politics. The poet's, college career was uneventful. He 
 w^as a thorough and industrious student and graduated second in a 
 class of thirty-seven. Soon after he entered college his poetic powers 
 attracted attention, and during his stay at Bowdoin a number of his 
 poems found their way into many daily and weekly papers. As a 
 student he manifested those traits of character which made him uni- 
 versally loved in later years. He was always kind, courteous and 
 sociable, a true friend and a perfect gentleman. 
 
 On completing his college course Longfellow began the study of 
 law in hia father's office. But previous to this he had written his 
 father that he believed himself to be fitted for a literary career and 
 that in such a career he would succeed. He soon learned that he 
 was in no wise suited for the law, the profession which his father 
 wanted him to follow. At about this time he received the appoint- 
 ment of professor of modern languages in Bowdoin College, with 
 leave of absence to enable him to study abroad. With this appoint- 
 ment the poet's eminent career began. He was but twenty-two years 
 of age and was the first professor of modern languages appointed in 
 
 V 
 
vi Longfellow 
 
 an American college, lie spent nearly three years in Europe, visit- 
 ing France, Germany, Holland, Italy, Spain and England, and 
 studying the languages and literatures of these countries. Two years 
 after his return he married Miss Mary Storer Potter, a lady of most 
 charming character. Four years later Mrs. Longfellow died while 
 accompanying the poet on a second tour of Europe. This great sor- 
 row overshadowed the poet's life and affected his work for a number 
 of years, during which some of his saddest poems were written. In 
 the Footsteps of Angels, written in memory of Mrs. Longfellow, he 
 speaks of her as the Being Beauteous. 
 
 Then the forms of the departed 
 
 Enter at the open door; 
 The beloved, the true-hearted, 
 
 Come to visit me once more. 
 
 And with them the Being Beauteous, 
 
 Who unto my youth Avas given. 
 More than all things else to love me. 
 
 And now a saint in heaven. 
 
 Before lie went abroad the second time Mr. Longfellow had been 
 appointed professor of modern languages in Harvard, and on his 
 return he took up his abode in Cambridge, residing at the Craigie 
 house, which he afterwards purchased. The house was already 
 famous as the headquarters of Washington during the siege of Bos- 
 ton in the Revolutionary War, and the young professor was given 
 the room formerly occupied by the great commander. He recalls the 
 former occupant in these lines: 
 
 Once, ah once within these walls. 
 One whom memory oft recalls. 
 The Father of his Country dwelt. 
 And yonder meadows broad and damp 
 The fires of the besieging camp 
 Encircled with a burning belt. 
 
 Longfellow faithfully discharged his duties at Harvard for seven- 
 teen years, when he gave up the position to devote his time entirely 
 to literary work. He was succeeded by another distinguished author 
 and poet, James Russell Lowell. A few years after assuming his 
 duties at Harvard, Longfellow married ]\Iiss Frances Elizabeth Ap- 
 pleton, who was the Mary Ashburton of Hyperion, a prose romance 
 which he wrote after his second trip abroad. Five children were born 
 
Longfellow vii 
 
 to this imion, two sons and three daughters. Charles, the eldest son, 
 won distinction in the Civil War, and Ernest became a celebrated 
 artist. The poet has made us acquainted with the daughters in the 
 Children's Hour. 
 
 From my study I see in the lamplight, 
 
 Descending the broad hall stair. 
 Grave Alice, and laughing Allegra, 
 
 And Edith with golden hair. 
 
 Many of his best know^n and more fondly cherished poems were 
 written while he was at Harvard. The first volume of his verse, 
 Voices of the Night, appeared in 1839. Says one of his biographers: 
 
 "There is not one of the Voices of the Night that is not familiar 
 as household words. The lines and phrases pass current in fragments 
 of quotation. The ideas and metrical forms are as unmistakable as 
 doxologies and proverbs. The solemn monotone of The Psalm of Life 
 was heard around the world. The Beleaguered City, Footsteps of 
 Angels, The Light of Stars and Flowers, have a spiritual as well as 
 an earthly beauty. They are a gospel of good-w^ill in music. * * * 
 These poems and others in the succeeding volumes like them, are our 
 heart treasures. They are our and our children's inheritance. They 
 are wholly without parallel in our daj^ in the quality of touching and 
 elevating the moral nature." 
 
 Three years later the volume. Ballads, appeared. Many of these 
 ballads are also household words. For more than two generations 
 The Wreck of the Hesperus, The Skeleton in Armor, Excelsior, and a 
 host of others have been mouthed by school boys from one end of the 
 country to the other. 
 
 Longfellow's best poem.s were suggested by incidents or experi- 
 ences and were written without effort. The Psalm of Life was writ- 
 ten one bright, sunny morning as the poet was looking from his win- 
 dow and admiring the beauty of nature, just as he was emerging 
 from the period of gloom and sorrow caused by the death of his wife. 
 By many this is considered the most famous of all his productions, 
 and it has been translated into the languages of all civilized nations. 
 Excelsior, also widely known, was suggested by seeing the word on a 
 scrap of paper which the poet picked up on the street. Immedi- 
 ately his imagination took fire. He took from his pocket a letter 
 from Charles Sumner, and on the back of it at once wrote the 
 poem, substantially as published. Concerning the purpose of this 
 
viii Longfellow 
 
 poem, the author says: "It was my intention to display, in a series 
 of pictures, the life of a man of genius, resisting all temptations, lay- 
 ing aside all fears, heedless of all warnings, and pressing right on to 
 accomplish his purpose. " T/ie Old Clock on the Stair was suggested 
 by an ancient time piece standing in the hallway of the Appleton 
 residence at Pittsfield. Resignation, by the death of his little daugh- 
 ter Fanny. 
 
 Following his resignation at Harvard, IMr. Longfellow engaged in 
 more arduous literary work and the next few years were the most 
 productive of all. To this period belong Evangeline, The Courtship 
 of Miles Standish, Hiawatha, The Tales of the Wayside Inn, several 
 translations and other short poems. Paid Revere's Ride, King Rob- 
 ert of Sicily and Legend Beautifid are among the best known of the 
 Tales. Others are based on the legends and folk lore of the Old 
 World and all are of interest. Birds of Passage is another collection 
 of short poems containing many well-known favorites. 
 
 Longfellow has been appropriately stj^led the children's poet. His 
 songs have gladdened the hearts and stirred the best impulses of the 
 boys and girls from the time of their publication, and no other poet 
 of the land is read and loved by so many young people. On Feb. 
 22, 1879, the poet's seventy-second birthdaj^ the children of Cam- 
 bridge presented him with a chair made from the wood of the 
 "spreading chestnut tree" of the Village Blacksmith. The touching 
 poem, From my Arm-Chair, was his response to his young friends. 
 
 The next year his last volume of poems, Ultima Thule, was issued. 
 In 1881 his strength began to fail, and early in the following winter 
 Longfellow was obliged to deny himself to callers. This was one of 
 his greatest trials. For nearly fifty years the Craigie House had been 
 his home and his workshop, and during all this time its door had 
 never been closed to visitors, and the poet Avas never too busy to ex- 
 tend a glad hand and give a word of cheer and comfort to the hum- 
 blest caller. 
 
 On March 25, 1882, surrounded by the members of his family, he 
 passed to the better land. "He paj^sed away in a full age, like as a 
 shock of corn cometh in his season . ' ' 
 
 "There is no flower of meek delight. 
 
 There is no star of heavenly pride. 
 That shines not sweeter and more bright 
 
 Because he lived, loved, sang and died." 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
 Should you ask me, whence these stories? 
 
 Whence these legends and traditions, 
 
 With the odors of the forest, 
 
 With the dew and damp of meadows, 
 
 With the curling smoke of wig'wams, ^ 
 
 With the rushing of great rivers. 
 
 With their frequent repetitions, 
 
 And their wild reverberations. 
 
 As of thunder in the mountains ? 
 
 I should answer, I should tell you, ^^ 
 
 ^'From the forests and the prairies. 
 From the great lakes of the Northland, 
 From the land of the jib ways. 
 From the land of the Dacotahs, 
 From the mountains, moors, and fen-lands, ^^ 
 
 Where the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 Feeds among the reeds and rushes, 
 I repeat them as I heard them 
 From the lips of Nawadaha, 
 The musician, the sweet singer. '^ 20 
 
 Should you ask where Nawadaha 
 Found these songs so wild and wayward, 
 Found these legends and traditions, 
 I should answer, I should tell you, 
 ^^In the blrd's-nests of the forest, 25 
 
 In the lodges of the beaver. 
 In the hoof-prints of the bison, 
 In the e}T:'y of the eagle! 
 
 **A11 the wild-fowl sang them to him. 
 In the moorlands and the fen-lands, 
 
 1 
 
 30 
 
2 Introduction 
 
 In the melancholy marshes ; 
 
 Chetowaik, the plover, sang them, 
 
 Malm, the loon, the wild goos3, AVawa, 
 
 The blue heron, the Shuh-slmh-gah, 
 
 And the grouse, the Mushkodasa!" ^^ 
 
 If still further you should ask me, 
 Saying, ^^Who was Nawadaha? 
 Tell us of this Nawadaha," 
 I should answer your inquiries 
 Straightway in such words as follow. ^^ 
 
 ^ ' In the Vale of Tawasentha, 
 In the green- and silent valley. 
 By the pleasant water-courses. 
 Dwelt the singer Nawadaha. 
 
 Eound about the Indian village ^^ 
 
 Spread the meadows and the cornfields. 
 And beyond them stood the forest. 
 Stood the groves of singing pine-trees. 
 Green in Summer, white in Winter, 
 Ever sighing, ever singing. ^^ 
 
 ^'And the pleasant water-courses, 
 You could trace them through the valley. 
 By the rushing in the Spring-time, 
 By the alders in the Summer, 
 By the white fog in the Autumn, ^^ 
 
 By the black line in the Winter ; 
 And beside them dwelt the singer, 
 In the vale of Tawasentha, 
 In the green and silent valley. 
 
 ^' There he sang of Hiawatha, ^® 
 
 Sang the Song of Hiawatha, 
 Sang his wondrous birth and being. 
 How he prayed and how he fasted, 
 How he lived, and toiled, and suffered. 
 That the tribes of men might prosper, ^^ 
 
 That he might advance his people!'' 
 
80 
 
 Introduction 3 
 
 Ye who love the haunts of Nature, 
 Love the sunshine of the meadow, 
 Love the shadow of tie forest, 
 Love the wind among the branches, '^^ 
 
 And the rain-shower and the snow-storm, 
 And the rushing of great rivers. 
 Through their palisades of pine-trees, 
 And the thunder in the mountains. 
 Whose innumerable echoes '^^ 
 
 Flap like eagles in their eyries; — 
 Listen to those wild traditions, 
 To this Song of Hiawatha! 
 
 Ye who love a nation 's legends. 
 Love the ballads of a people. 
 That like voices from afar oft" 
 Call to us to pause and listen. 
 Speak in tones so plain and childlike, 
 Scarcely can the ear distinguish 
 Whether they are sung or spoken;— 
 Listen to this Indian Legend, 
 To this Song of Hiawatha ! 
 
 Ye whose hearts are fresh and simple. 
 Who have faith in God and Nature, 
 Who believe that in all ages ^^ 
 
 Every human heart is human. 
 That in even savage bosoms 
 There are longings, yearnings, strivings 
 For the good they comprehend not. 
 That the feeble hands and helpless, ^^ 
 
 Groping blindly in the darkness. 
 Touch God's right hand in that darkness 
 And are lifted up and strengthened;— 
 Listen to this simple story. 
 To this song of Hiawatha! i^^ 
 
 Ye who sometimes, in your rambles 
 Through the green lanes of the country. 
 
 85 
 
4 Introduction 
 
 Where the tangled barberry-bushes 
 
 Hang their tufts of crimson berries 
 
 Over stone walls gray with mosses, los 
 
 Pause by some neglected graveyard, 
 
 For a while to muse, and ponder 
 
 On a half-effaced inscription. 
 
 Written with little skill of song-craft, 
 
 Homely phrases, but each letter ^^^ 
 
 Full of hope and yet of heart-break. 
 
 Full of all the tender pathos 
 
 Of the Here and the Hereafter; — 
 
 Stay and read this rude inscription, 
 
 Eead this song of Hiawatha ! ^^^ 
 
THE SONG OF HIAWATHA 
 
 I. 
 
 THE PEACE-PIPE 
 
 On the Mountains of the Prairie, 
 
 On the great Red Pipe-stone Quaxry, 
 
 Gitche Manito, the miglity, 
 
 He the Master of Life, descending. 
 
 On the red crags of the quarry ^ 
 
 Stood erect, and called the nations, 
 
 Called the tribes of men together. 
 
 From his footprints flowed a river, 
 Leaped into the light of morning. 
 O'er the precipice plunging downward i^ 
 
 Gleamed like Ishkoodah, the comet. 
 And the Spirit, stooping earthward, 
 With his finger on the meadow 
 Traced a winding pathway for it. 
 Saying to it, ^'Run in this way!" i^ 
 
 From the red stone of the quarry 
 With his hand he broke a fragment. 
 Moulded it into a pipe-head. 
 Shaped and fashioned it with figures ; 
 From the margin of the river 20 
 
 Took a long reed for a pipe-stem. 
 With its dark green leaves upon it ; 
 Filled the pipe with bark of willow, 
 With the bark of the red willow; 
 Breathed upon the neighboring forest, 25 
 
 Made its great boughs chafe together, 
 Till in flame thev burst and kindled : 
 
30 
 
 6 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 And erect upon the mountains, 
 Gitehe Manito, the mighty, 
 Smoked the calumet, the Peace-Pipe, 
 As a signal to the nations. 
 
 And the smoke rose slowly, slowly. 
 Through the tranquil air of morning, 
 First a single line of darkness, 
 Then a denser, bluer vapor, ^5 
 
 Then a snow-white cloud unfolding, 
 Like the tree-tops of the forest, 
 Ever rising, rising, rising. 
 Till it touched the top of heaven, 
 Till it broke against the heaven, ^^ 
 
 And rolled outward all around it. 
 
 From the Vale of Tawasentha, 
 From the Valley of Wyoming, 
 From the groves of Tuscaloosa, 
 From the far-oif Eocky Mountains, ^5 
 
 From the Northern lakes and rivers. 
 All the tribes beheld the signal, 
 Saw the distant smoke ascending, 
 The Pukwana of the Peace-Pipe. 
 
 And the Prophets of the nations 50 
 
 Said: '^ Behold it, the Pukwana! 
 By this signal from afar off. 
 Bending like a wand of willow. 
 Waving like a hand that beckons, 
 Gitehe Manito, the mighty, ^^ 
 
 Calls the tribes of men together. 
 Calls the warriors to his council ! " 
 
 Down the rivers, o'er the prairies. 
 Came the warriors of the nations, 
 Came the Delawares and Mohawks, 
 Came the Choctaws and Camanches, 
 Came the Shoshonies and Blackfeet, 
 Came the Pawnees and Omahas, 
 
 60 
 
65 
 
 80 
 
 The Peace-Pipe 
 
 Came the Mandans and Dacotabs, 
 Came the Hurons and jib ways, 
 All the warriors drawn together 
 By the signal of the Peace-Pipe, 
 To the Mountains of the Prairie, 
 To the great Red Pipe-stone Quarry. 
 
 And they stood there on the meadow, '^^ 
 
 With their weapons and their war-gear. 
 Painted like the leaves of Autumn, 
 Painted like the sky of morning. 
 Wildly glaring at each other; 
 In their faces stern defiance, '^^ 
 
 In their hearts the feuds of ages. 
 The hereditary hatred. 
 The ancestral thirst of vengeance. 
 
 Gitche Manito, the miglity. 
 The creator of the nations. 
 Looked upon them with compassion, 
 With paternal love and pity; 
 Looked upon their wrath and wrangling 
 But as quarrels among children. 
 But as feuds and fights of children! 
 
 Over them he stretched his right hand. 
 To subdue their stubborn natures, 
 To allay their thirst and fever. 
 By the shadow of his right hand; 
 Spake to them with voice majestic 
 As the sound of far-off waters 
 Falling into deep abysses. 
 Warning, chiding, spake in this wise: — 
 
 *^0 my children! my poor children! 
 Listen to the words of wisdom, 95 
 
 Listen to the words of warning. 
 From the lips of the Great Spirit, 
 From the Master of Life, who made you! 
 
 ^^I have given you lands to hunt in. 
 
 90 
 
8 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 100 
 
 I have given you streams to fisli in, 
 
 I have given you bear and bison, 
 
 I have given you roe and reindeer, 
 
 I have given you brant and beaver, 
 
 Filled the marshes full of wild-fowl. 
 
 Filled the rivers full of fishes ; 105 
 
 Why then are you not contented! 
 
 Wiy then will you hunt each other! 
 
 ^'I am weary of your quarrels, 
 Weary of your wars and bloodshed. 
 Weary of your prayers for vengeance, ii^ 
 
 Of your wranglings and dissensions ; 
 All your strength is in your union, 
 All your danger is in discord; 
 Therefore be at peace henceforward, 
 And as brothers live together. us 
 
 ^'I will send a Prophet to you, 
 A Deliverer of the nations, 
 Who shall guide you and shall teach you 
 Who shall toil and suffer with you. 
 If you listen to his counsels, 120 
 
 You will multiply and prosper; 
 If his warnings pass unheeded, 
 You will fade away and perish ! 
 
 ^^ Bathe now in the stream before you, 
 Wash the war-paint from your faces, 125 
 
 Wash the blood-stains from your fingers. 
 Bury your war-clubs and your weapons. 
 Break the red stone from this quarry, 
 Mould and make it into Peace-Pipes, 
 Take the reeds that grow beside you, ^^^ 
 
 Deck them with your brightest feathers, 
 Smoke the calumet together. 
 And as brothers live henceforward!" 
 
 Then upon the ground the warriors 
 Threw their cloaks and shirts of deer-skin, ^^^ 
 
' The Four Winds 9 
 
 Threw their weapons and their war-gear, 
 
 Leaped into the rushing river, 
 
 Washed the war-paint from their faces. 
 
 Clear above them flowed the water, 
 
 Clear and limpid from the footprints '^^^ 
 
 Of the Master of Life descending; 
 
 Dark below them flowed the water, 
 
 Soiled and stained with streaks of crimson. 
 
 As if blood were mingled with it! 
 
 From the river came the warriors, ^^^ 
 
 Clean and washed from all their war-paint; 
 On the banks their clubs tliey buried. 
 Buried all their warlike weapons. 
 Gitche Manito, the mighty. 
 
 The Great Spirit, the creator, ^^^ 
 
 Smiled upon his helpless children. 
 
 And in silence all the warriors 
 Broke the red stone of the quarry, 
 Smoothed and formed it into Peace-Pipes, 
 Broke the long reeds by the river, i^s 
 
 Decked them with their brightest feathers, 
 And departed each one homeward. 
 While the Master of Life, ascending, 
 Through the opening of cloud-curtains. 
 Through the doorways of the heaven, ^^^ 
 
 Vanished from before their faces. 
 In the smoke that rolled around him. 
 The Pukwana of the Peace-Pipe! 
 
 11. 
 
 THE FOUE WINDS. 
 
 '* Honor be to Mudjekeewis!" 
 
 Cried the warriors, cried the old men. 
 
 When he came in triumph homeward 
 
10 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 With the sacred Belt of Wampum, 
 
 From the regions of the North- Wind, » 
 
 From the kingdom of AVabasso, 
 
 From the land of the White Rabbit. 
 
 He had stolen the Belt of Wampmn 
 From the neck of Mishe-Mokwa, 
 From the Great Bear of the mountains lo 
 
 From the terror of the nations, 
 As he lay asleep and cumbrous 
 On the summit of the mountains, 
 Like a rock with mosses on it, 
 Spotted brown and gray with mosses. i^ 
 
 Silently he stole upon him. 
 Till the red nails of the monster 
 Almost touched him, almost scared him. 
 Till the hot breath of his nostrils 
 Warmed the hands of Mudjekeewis, 20 
 
 As he drew the Belt of Wampum 
 Over the round ears, that heard not. 
 Over the small eyes, that saw not. 
 Over the long nose and nostrils. 
 The black muffle of the nostrils, 25 
 
 Out of which the heavy breathing 
 Warmed the hands of Mudjekeewis. 
 
 Then he swung aloft his war-club. 
 Shouted loud and long his war-cry, 
 Smote the mighty Mishe-Mokwa ^o 
 
 In the middle of the forehead, 
 Eight between the eyes he smote him. 
 
 With the heavy blow bewildered, 
 Rose the Great Bear of the mountains ; 
 But his knees beneath him trembled, 35 
 
 And he whimpered like a woman, 
 As he reeled and staggered forward. 
 As he sat upon his haunches; 
 And the mighty Mudjekeewis, 
 
45 
 
 50 
 
 The Four Winds 11 
 
 Standing fearlessly before him, *^ 
 
 Taunted him in loud derision, 
 Spake disdainfully in this wise: — 
 
 ''Hark vou, Bear! vou are a coward, 
 And no Brave, as you pretended; 
 Else you would not cry and whimper 
 Like a miserable woman! 
 Bear! you know our tribes are hostile. 
 Long have been at war together; 
 Now you find that we are strongest. 
 You go sneaking in the forest. 
 You go hiding in the moutains! 
 Had you conquered me in battle 
 Not a groan would I have uttered; 
 But you, Bear! sit here and whimper, 
 And disgrace your tribe by crying, ^^ 
 
 Like a wretched Shaugodaya, 
 Like a cowardly old woman!" 
 Then again he raised his war-club, 
 Smote again the Mishe-Mokwa 
 In the middle of his forehead, ^^ 
 
 Broke his skull, as ice is broken 
 When one goes to fish in Winter. 
 Thus was slain the Mishe-Mokwa, 
 He the Great Bear of the mountains, 
 He the terror of the nations. 65 
 
 ''Honor be to Mudjekeewis ! " 
 With a shout exclaimed the ]:)eoi)le, 
 "Honor be to Mudjekeewis! 
 Henceforth he shall be the West-Wind, 
 And hereafter and forever 70 
 
 Shall he hold supreme dominion 
 Over all the winds of heaven. 
 Call him no more Mudjekeewis, 
 Call him Kabeyun, the AYest-Wind!" 
 
 Thus was Mudjekeewis chosen "75 
 
80 
 
 12 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Father of the AYinds of Heaven. 
 For hmiself he kept the West-AYind, 
 Gave the others to his children; 
 Unto Wabun gave the East- Wind, 
 Gave the South to Shawondasee, 
 And the Xorth-Wind, wild and cruel, 
 To the fierce Kabibonokka. 
 
 Young and beautiful was Wabun; 
 He it was who brought the morning, 
 He it was whose silver arrows ^5 
 
 Chased the dark o'er hill and valley; 
 He it was whose cheeks were painted 
 With the brightest streaks of crimson. 
 And whose voice awoke the village, 
 Called the deer, and called the hunter. ^0 
 
 Lonely in the sky was W^abun; 
 Though the birds sang gayly to him. 
 Though the wild-flowers of the meadow 
 Filled the air with odors for him. 
 Though the forests and the rivers ^5 
 
 Sang and shouted at his coming. 
 Still his heart was sad within him, 
 For he was alone in heaven. 
 
 But one morning, gazing earthward, 
 While the village still was sleeping, lOO 
 
 And the fog lay on the river, 
 Like a ghost, that goes at sunrise. 
 He beheld a maiden walking 
 All alone upon a meadow. 
 
 Gathering water-flags and rushes 105 
 
 By a river in the meadow. 
 
 Every morning, gazing earthward, . 
 Still the first thing he beheld there 
 Was her blue eyes looking at him, 
 TVo blue lakes among the rushes. no 
 
 And he loved the lonely maiden, 
 
The Four Winds 13 
 
 Who thus waited for his coming; 
 For they both were solitary, 
 She on earth and he in heaven. 
 
 And he wooed her with caresses, us 
 
 With his flattering- words he wooed her. 
 With his sighing and his singing, 
 Gentlest whispers in the branches. 
 Softest music, sweetest odors, 120 
 
 Till he drew her to his bosom. 
 Folded in his robes of crimson. 
 Till into a star he changed her. 
 Trembling still upon his bosom ; ' 
 And forever in the heavens 125 
 
 They are seen together walking, 
 Wabun and the Wabun-Annung, 
 Wabun and the Star of Morning. 
 
 But the fierce Kabibonokka 
 Had his dwelling among icebergs, i^^ 
 
 In the everlasting snow-drifts. 
 In the kingdom of Wabasso, 
 In the land of the Wliite Rabbit. 
 He it was whose hand in Autumn 
 Painted all the trees with, scarlet, i^^ 
 
 Stained the leaves with red and yellow ; 
 He it was who sent the snow-flakes, 
 Sifting, hissing through the forest. 
 Froze the ponds, the lakes, the rivers, 
 Drove the loon and sea-gull southward, 140 
 
 Drove the cormorant and curlew 
 To their nests of sedge and sea-tang 
 In the realms of Shawondasee. 
 
 Once the fierce Kabibonokka 
 Issued from his lodge of snow-drifts, 1^5 
 
 From his home' among the icebergs. 
 And his hair, with snow besprinkled, 
 Streamed behind him like a river, 
 
14 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Like a black and wintry river, 
 
 As lie howled and hurried southward, ^^^ 
 
 Over frozen lakes and moorlands. 
 
 There among the reeds and rushes 
 Found he Shingebis, the diver, 
 Trailing strings of fish behind him, 
 O'er the frozen fens and moorlands, ^^^ 
 
 Lingering still among the moorlands, 
 Though his tribe had long departed 
 To the land of Shawondasee. 
 
 Cried the fierce Kabibonokka, 
 "Who is this that dares to brave me? ^^^ 
 
 Dares to stay in my dominions, 
 When the Wawa has departed. 
 When the wild-goose has gone southward. 
 And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 Long ago departed southward! ^^^ 
 
 I will go into his wigwam, 
 I will put his smouldering fire out!'' 
 
 And at night Kabibonokka 
 To the lodge came wild and wailing 
 Heaped the snow in drifts about it, i*^^ 
 
 Shouted down into the smoke-flue, 
 Shook the lodge-poles in his fury, 
 Flapped the curtains of the door-way. 
 Shingebis, the diver, feared not, 
 Shingebis, the diver, cared not; 1^5 
 
 Four great logs had he for wire-wood, 
 One for each moon of the winter, 
 And for food the fishes served him. 
 By his blazing fire he sat there. 
 Warm and merry, eating, laughing, 180 
 
 Singing, "0 Kabibonokka, 
 You are but my fellow-mortal!" 
 
 Then Kabibonokka entered. 
 And though Shingebis, the diver. 
 
The Four Winds 15 
 
 Felt his presence by the coldness, 1^5 
 
 Felt his icy breath upon him, 
 
 Still he did not cease his singing, 
 
 Still he did not leave his laughing, 
 
 Only turned the log a little, 
 
 Only made the fire burn brighter, i^^ 
 
 Made the sparks fly up the smoke-flue. 
 
 From Kabibonokka 's forehead. 
 From his snow-besprinkled tresses, 
 Drops of sweat fell fast and heavy, 
 Making dints upon the ashes, 1^5 
 
 As along the eaves of lodges. 
 As from drooping boughs of hemlock, 
 Drij)s the melting snow in spring-time. 
 Making hollows in the snow-drifts. 
 
 Till at last he rose defeated, 200 
 
 Could not bear the heat and laughter, 
 Could not bear the meriy singing. 
 But rushed headlong through the door-way, 
 Stamped upon the crusted snow-drifts. 
 Stamped upon the lakes and rivers, 205 
 
 Made the snow upon them harder. 
 Made the ice upon them thicker. 
 Challenged Shingebis, the diver, 
 To come forth and wrestle with him, 
 To come forth and wrestle naked 210 
 
 On the frozen fens and moorlands. 
 
 Forth went Shingebis, the diver. 
 Wrestled all night with the iSTorth-Wind, 
 "Wrestled naked on the moorlands 
 With the fierce Kabibonokka, 215 
 
 Till his panting breath grew fainter. 
 Till his frozen grasp grew feebler, 
 Till he reeled and staggered backward. 
 And retreated, baffled, beaten. 
 To the kingdom of Wabasso, 220 
 
225 
 
 16 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 To the land of the White Rabbit, 
 Hearing still the gusty laughter, 
 Hearing Shingebis, the diver. 
 Singing, ^'0 Kabibonokka, 
 You are but my fellow-mortal!" 
 
 Shawondasee, fat and lazy,— 
 Had his dwelling far to southward. 
 In the drowsy, dream.y sunshine, 
 In the never-ending Summer. 
 He it was who sent the wool-birds, 230 
 
 Sent the robin, the Opechee, 
 Sent the bluebird, the Owaissa, 
 Sent the Shawshaw, sent the swallow. 
 Sent the wild-goose, Wawa, northward. 
 Sent the melons and tobacco 235 
 
 And the grapes in purple clusters. 
 
 From his pipe the smoke ascending 
 Filled the sky with haze and vapor, 
 Filled the air with dreamy softness, 
 Gave -a twinkle to the water. 240 
 
 Touched the rugged hills with smoothness. 
 Brought the tender Indian Summer 
 To the melancholy North-land, 
 In the dreary Moon of Snow-shoes. 
 
 Listless, careless Shawondasee! 245 
 
 In his life he had one shadow, 
 In his heart one sorrow had he. 
 Once, as he was gazing northward. 
 Far away upon a prairie 
 
 He beheld a maiden standing, 250 
 
 Saw a tall and slender maiden 
 All alone upon a prairie; 
 Brightest green were all her garments, 
 And her hair was like the sunshine. 
 
 Day by day he gazed upon her, 255 
 
 Day by day he sighed with ])assion, 
 
The Four Winds 17 
 
 Day by day his heart within him 
 
 Grew more hot with love and longing 
 
 For the maid with yellow tresses. 
 
 But he was too fat and lazy ^^^ 
 
 To bestir himself and woo her; 
 
 Yes, too indolent and easy 
 
 To pursue her and persuade her. 
 
 So he only gazed upon her, 
 
 Only sat and sighed with passion ^^^ 
 
 For the maiden of the prairie. 
 
 Till one morning, looking northward. 
 
 He beheld her yellow tresses 
 
 Changed and covered o'er with whiteness, 
 
 Covered as with whitest snow-flakes. ^"'^ 
 
 ''Ah! my brother from the North-laud, 
 
 From the kingdom of Wabasso, 
 
 From the land of the White Kabbit! 
 
 You have stolen the maiden from me. 
 
 You have laid your hand upon her, 
 
 You have wooed and w^on my maiden 
 
 With your stories of the North-land!" 
 Thus the wretched Shawondasee 
 
 Breathed into the air his sorrow ; 
 
 And the South- Wind o'er the prairie 
 
 Wandered warm with sighs of passion. 
 
 With the sighs of Shawondasee, 
 
 Till the air seemed full of snow-flakes. 
 
 Full of thistle-down the prairie. 
 
 And the maid with hair like sunshine 
 
 Vanished from his sight forever; 
 
 Never more did Shawondasee 
 
 See the maid with yellow tresses ! 
 
 Poor, deluded Shawondasee! 
 'Twas no woman that you gazed at, 
 'Twas no maiden that you sighed for, 
 'Twas the prairie dandelion 
 
 275 
 
 280 
 
 285 
 
 290 
 
18 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 That through all the dreamy Summer 
 
 You had gazed at with such longing, 
 
 You had sighed for with such passion, 295 
 
 And had puffed away forever, 
 
 Blown into the air with sighing. 
 
 Ah! deluded Shawondasee! 
 
 Thus the Four Winds were divided ; 
 Thus the sons of Mudjekeewis ^oo 
 
 Had their stations in the heavens, 
 At the corners of the heavens; 
 For himself the West-Wind only 
 Kept the mighty Mudjekeewis. 
 
 III. 
 
 Hiawatha's chh^dhood. 
 
 Downward through the evening twilight. 
 
 In the days that are forgotten, 
 
 In the unremembered ages, 
 
 From the full moon fell Nokomis, 
 
 Fell the beautiful Nokomis, 5 
 
 She a wife but not a mother. 
 
 She was sporting with her women. 
 Swinging in a swing of grape-vines, 
 When her rival, the rejected. 
 Full of jealousy and hatred, lo 
 
 Cut the leafy swing asunder, 
 Ciit in twain the twisted grape-vines. 
 And Nokomis fell atfrighted 
 Downward through the evening twilight. 
 On the Muskoday, the meadow, 15 
 
 On the prairie full of blossoms. 
 '^See! a star falls!" said the people, 
 ''From the sky a star is falling!" 
 
 There among the ferns and mosses. 
 
H iawatha's Childhood 19 
 
 There among the prairie lilies, 20 
 
 On the Muskoday, the meadow, 
 
 In the moonlight and the starlight, 
 
 Fair Nokomis bore a daughter. 
 
 And she called her name Wenonah, 
 
 As the first-born of her daughters. 25 
 
 And the daughter of Nokomis 
 
 Grew up like the prairie lilies. 
 
 Grew a tall and slender maiden. 
 
 With the beauty of the moonlight. 
 
 With the beauty of the starlight. 30 
 
 And Nokomis warned her often, 
 Saying oft, and oft repeating, 
 *'0h, beware of Mudjekeewis, 
 Of the West-AVind, Mudjekeewis; 
 Listen not to what he tells you; ^^ 
 
 Lie not down upon the meadow. 
 Stoop not down among the lilies. 
 Lest the West- Wind come and harm you ! ' ' 
 
 But she heeded not the warning. 
 Heeded not those words of wisdom. ^^ 
 
 And the West-Wind came at evening, 
 Walking lightly o'er the prairie. 
 Whispering to the leaves and blossoms, 
 Bending low the flowers and grasses. 
 Pound the beautiful Wenonah, 45 
 
 Lying there among the lilies, 
 Wooed her with his words of sweetness. 
 Wooed her with his soft caresses, 
 Till she bore a son in sorrow, 
 Bore a son of love and sorrow. so 
 
 Thus was born my Hiawatha, 
 Thus was bom the child of wonder; 
 But the daughter of Nokomis, 
 Hiawatha's gentle mother, 
 In her anguish died deserted 55 
 
20 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 By the West-AVind, false and faithless, 
 By the heartless Mudjekeewis. 
 
 For her daughter, long and loudly 
 A¥ailed and wept the sad Xokomis; 
 ' ' Oh that I were dead ! ' ' she murmured, ^^ 
 
 "Oh that I were dead, as thou art! 
 No more work, and no more weeping, 
 Wahonowin ! AYahonowin ! " 
 
 By the shores of Gitche Gumee, 
 By the shining Big-Sea-Water, ^^ 
 
 Stood the wigwam of Nokomis 
 Daughter of the Moon, Nokomis. 
 Dark behind it rose the forest. 
 Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees. 
 Rose the firs with cones upon them; '^^ 
 
 Bright before it beat the water. 
 Beat the clear and sunny water, 
 Beat the shining Big- Sea- Water. 
 
 There the wrinkled old Nokomis 
 Nursed the little Hiawatha, '^^ 
 
 Rocked him in his linden cradle, 
 Bedded soft in moss and rushes, 
 Safely bound with reindeer sinews; 
 Stilled his fretful wail by saying, 
 ' ' Hush ! the Naked Bear will hear thee ! " ^o 
 
 Lulled him into slumber, singing, 
 ' ^ Ewa-yea ! my little owlet ! 
 Who is this, that lights the wigwam! 
 With his great eyes lights the wigwam! 
 Ewa-yea ! my little owlet ! " ^^ 
 
 Many things Nokomis taught him 
 Of the stars that shine in heaven; 
 Showed him Ishkoodah, the comet, 
 Ishkoodah, with fiery tresses; 
 Showed the Death-Dance of the spirits. 
 Warriors with their plumes and war-clubs, 
 
 90 
 
Hiawatha's Childhood 21 
 
 Flaring far away to northward 
 In the frosty nights of Winter; 
 Showed the broad white road in heaven, 
 Pathway of the ghosts, the shadows, ^^ 
 
 Running straight across the heavens. 
 Crowded with the ghosts, the shadows. 
 
 At the door on summer evenings 
 Sat the little Hiawatha; 
 
 Heard the whispering of the pine-trees, ^^^ 
 
 Heard the lapping of the waters, 
 Sounds of music, words of wonder; 
 ' ^ Minne-wawa ! ' ' said the pine-trees. 
 ' ' Mudway-aushka ! ' ' said the water. 
 
 Saw the fire-fly, Wah-way-taysee, ^^^ 
 
 Flitting through the dusk of evening, 
 With the twinkle of its candle 
 Lighting up the brakes and bushes, 
 And he sang the song of children, 
 Sang the song Nokomis taught him: ^^^ 
 
 ' ' Wah-wah-taysee, little fire-fly, 
 Little, flitting, white-fire insect. 
 Little, dancing, white-fire creature, 
 Light me with your little candle, 
 Ere upon my bed I lay me, ii^ 
 
 Ere in sleep I close my eyelids!" 
 
 Saw the moon rise from the water 
 Rippling, rounding from the water, 
 Saw the flecks and shadows on it, 
 Whispered, ''What is that, Nokomis T' 120 
 
 And the good Nokomis answered: 
 ''Once a warrior, very angry, 
 Seized his grandmother, and threw her 
 Up into the sky at midnight; 
 Right against the moon he threw her; 125 
 
 'Tis her body that you see there." 
 
 Saw the rainbow in the heaven. 
 
22 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 In the eastern sky, the rainbow, 
 
 Whisi^ered, "What is that, Xokomis!'' 
 
 And the good Nokomis answered: ^^o 
 
 ' ' 'Tis the heaven of flowers you see there ; 
 
 All the wild-flowers of the forest, 
 
 All the lilies of the prairie, 
 
 A^Hien on earth they fade and perish. 
 
 Blossom in that heaven above us." 135 
 
 AVlien he heard the owls at midnight. 
 Hooting, laughing in the forest, 
 ''What is that?" he cried in terror, 
 "What is that," he said, " Nokomis?" 
 And the good Nokomis answered: i^o 
 
 ' ' That is but the owl and owlet, 
 Talking in their native language. 
 Talking, scolding at each other." 
 
 Then the little Hiawatha 
 Learned of every bird its language, ^45 
 
 Learned their names and all their secrets. 
 How they built their nests in Summer, 
 Where the}^ hid themselves in Winter, 
 Talked with them whene'er he met them. 
 Called them "Hiawatha's Chickens." i^o 
 
 Of all beasts he learned the language. 
 Learned their names and all their secrets, 
 How the beavers built their lodges, 
 Where the squirrels hid their acorns, 
 How the reindeer ran so swiftly, ' i^^ 
 
 Why the rabbit was so timid. 
 Talked with them whene'er he met them. 
 Called them "Hiawatha's Brothers." 
 
 Then lagoo, the great boaster, 
 He the marvelous story-teller, i^^ 
 
 He the traveler and the talker. 
 He the friend of old Nokomis, 
 Made a bow for Hiawatha; . 
 
Hiawatha's Childhood 23 
 
 Froin a branch of ash he made it, 
 From an oak-bough made the arrows, ^^^ 
 
 Tipped with flint and winged with feathers, 
 And the cord he made of deer-skin. 
 
 Then he said to Hiawatha : 
 ^'Go, my son, into the forest. 
 Where the red deer herd together, ^"^^ 
 
 Kill for us a famous roebuck, 
 Kill for us a deer with antlers!" 
 
 Forth into the forest straightway 
 All alone walked Hiawatha 
 
 Proudly, with his bow and arrows; i'^^ 
 
 And the birds sang round him, o'er him 
 "Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!" 
 Sang the robin, the Opechee, 
 Sang the bluebird, the Owaissa, 
 ' ' Do not shoot us, Hiawatha ! ' ' ^^^ 
 
 Up the oak-tree, close beside him, 
 Sprang the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 In and out among the branches, 
 Coughed and chattered from the oak-tree. 
 Laughed, and said between his laughing, 1^5 
 "Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!" 
 
 And the rabbit from his pathway 
 Leaped aside, and at a distance 
 Sat erect upon his haunches. 
 Half in fear and half in frolic, 190 
 
 Saying to the little hunter, 
 "Do not shoot me, Hiawatha!" 
 
 But he heeded not, nor heard them, 
 For his thoughts were with the red deer; 
 On their tracks his eyes were fastened, i^s 
 
 Leading downward to the river, 
 To the ford across the river, 
 And as one in slumber walked he. 
 
 Hidden in the alder-bushes, 
 
24 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 There he waited till the deer came, ^oo 
 
 Till he saw two antlers lifted, 
 
 Saw two eyes look from the thicket, 
 
 Saw two nostrils point to windward, 
 
 And a deer came down the pathway. 
 
 Flecked with leafy light and shadow. 205 
 
 And his heart within him fluttered. 
 
 Trembled like the leaves above him. 
 
 Like the birch-leaf palpitated. 
 
 As the deer came down the pathway. 
 
 Then, upon one knee uprising, 210 
 
 Hiawatha aimed an arrow; 
 Scarce a twig moved with his motion. 
 Scarce a leaf was stirred or rustled. 
 But the wary roebuck started. 
 Stamped with all his hoofs together, 215 
 
 Listened with one foot uplifted. 
 Leaped as if to meet the arrow ; 
 Ah! the singing, fatal arrow; 
 Like a wasp it buzzed and stung him! 
 
 Dead he lay there in the ^forest, 220 
 
 By the ford across the river; 
 Beat his timid heart no longer. 
 But the heart of Hiawatha 
 Throbbed and shouted and exulted. 
 As he bore the red deer homeward, 225 
 
 And lagoo and Nokomis 
 Hailed his coming , with applauses. 
 
 From the red deer's hide Nokomis 
 Made a cloak for Hiawatha, 
 
 From the red deer's flesh Nokomis 230 
 
 Made a banquet in his honor. 
 All the village came and feasted, 
 All the guests praised Hiawatha, 
 Called him Strong-Heart, Soan-ge-taha ! 
 Called him Loon-Heart, Mahn-go-taysee ! 235 
 
Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis 25 
 
 IV. 
 
 HIAWATHA AND MUDJEKEEWIS. 
 
 Out of childhood into manliood 
 
 Now had grown my Hiawatha, 
 
 Skilled in all the craft of hunters, 
 
 Learned in all the lore of old men. 
 
 In all youthful sjDorts and pastimes, 5 
 
 In all manly arts and labors. 
 
 Swift of foot was Hiawatha; 
 He could shoot an arrow from him. 
 And run forward with such fleetness, 
 That the arrow fell behind him! lO 
 
 Strong of arm was Hiawatha ; 
 He could shoot ten arrows upward, 
 Shoot them with such strength and swiftness, 
 That the tenth had left the bow-string 
 Ere the first to earth had fallen! i^ 
 
 He had mittens, Minjekahwun, 
 Magic mittens made of deer-skin; 
 When upon his hands he wore them, 
 He could smite the rocks asunder, 
 He could grind them into powder. 20 
 
 He had moccasins enchanted, 
 Magic moccasins of deer-skin; 
 A^Hien he bound them round his ankles, 
 AVhen upon his feet he tied them, 
 At each stride a mile he measured ! 25 
 
 Much he questioned old Nokomis 
 Of his father Mudjekeewis; 
 Learned from her the fatal secret 
 Of the beauty of his mother. 
 Of the falsehood of his father ; ^^ 
 
 And his heart was hot within him, 
 
26 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Like a living coal his heart was. 
 
 Then he said to old Nokomis, 
 '^I will go to Mudjekeewis, 
 
 See how fares it with my father, ^5 
 
 At the doorways of the West-AVind, 
 At the portals of the Sunset!" 
 
 From his lodge went Hiawatha, 
 Dressed for travel, armed for hunting. 
 Dressed in deer-skin shirt and leggings, ^^ 
 
 Eichly wrought with quills and wampum 
 On his head his eagle-feathers, 
 Eound his waist his belt of wampum, 
 In his hand his bow of ash-wood, 
 Strung with sinews of the reindeer; ^^ 
 
 In his quiver oaken arrows, 
 Tipped with jasper, winged with feathers; 
 With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 
 With his moccasins enchanted. 
 
 Warning said the old Nokomis, so 
 
 ' ^ Go not forth, Hiawatha ! 
 To the kingdom of the West-Wind, 
 To the realms of Mudjekeewis, 
 Lest he harm you with his magic. 
 Lest he kill you with his cunning!" ^^ 
 
 But the fearless Hiawatha 
 Heeded not her woman's warning; 
 Forth he strode into the forest, 
 At each stride a mile he measured; 
 Lurid seemed the sky above him, ^^ 
 
 Lurid seemed the earth beneath him. 
 Hot and close the air around him, 
 Filled with smoke and fiery vapors, 
 As of burning woods and prairies. 
 For his heart was hot within him, ^^ 
 
 Like a living coal his heart was. 
 
 So he journeyed westward, westward. 
 
Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis 27 
 
 Left the fleetest deer behind him, 
 
 Left the antelope and bison; 
 
 Crossed the rushing Esconaba, "^^ 
 
 Crossed the mighty Mississippi, 
 
 Passed the Mountains of the Prairie, 
 
 Passed the land of Crows and Foxes, 
 
 Passed the dwellings of the Blackfeet, 
 
 Came unto the Rocky Mountains '^^ 
 
 To the kingdom of the West- Wind, 
 
 Where upon the gusty summits 
 
 Sat the ancient Mudjekeewis, 
 
 Ruler of the winds of heaven. 
 
 Filled with awe was Hiawatha ^^ 
 
 At the aspect of his father. 
 On the air about him wildh^ 
 Tossed and streamed his cloudy tresses. 
 Gleamed like drifting snow his tresses, 
 Glared like Ishkoodah, the comet, ^^ 
 
 Like the star with fiery tresses. 
 
 Filled with joy was Mudjekeewis 
 When he looked on Hiawatha, 
 Saw his youth rise up before him 
 In the face of Hiawatha, ^^ 
 
 Saw the beauty of Wenonah 
 From the grave rise up before him. 
 
 ^'Welcome!'' said he, ^'Hiawatha, 
 To tlie kingdom of the West-Wind! 
 Long have I been waiting for you! ^^ 
 
 Youth is lovely, age is lonely 
 Youth is fiery, age is frosty; 
 You bring back the days departed. 
 You bring back my youth of ]iassion. 
 And the beautiful Wenonah!" . loo 
 
 Many days they talked together. 
 Questioned, listened, waited, answered; 
 Much the mighty Mudjekeewis 
 
28 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Boasted of his ancient prowess, 
 
 Of his perilous adventures, ^^^ 
 
 His indomitable courage, 
 
 His invulnerable body. 
 
 Patiently sat Hiawatha, 
 Listening to his father's boasting; 
 With a smile he sat and listened, ^^^ 
 
 Uttered neither threat nor menace, 
 Neither word nor look betrayed him. 
 But his heart was hot within him, 
 Ijike a living coal his heart was. 
 
 Then he said, "0 Mudjekeewis, i^^ 
 
 Is there nothing that can harm you! 
 Nothing that you are afraid of?'' 
 And the mighty Mudjekeewis, 
 Grand and gracious in his boasting. 
 Answered, saying, ^ ' There is- nothing, 120 
 
 Nothing but the black rock yonder, 
 Nothing but the fatal AVawbeek!" 
 
 And he looked at Hiawatha 
 With a wise look and benignant, 
 With a countenance paternal, ^^^ 
 
 Lioioked with pride upon the beauty 
 Of his tall and graceful figure. 
 Saying, ' ^ my Hiawatha ! 
 Is there anything can harm you? 
 Anything you are afraid of?" ^^^ 
 
 But the wary Hiawatha 
 Paused awhile, as if uncertain. 
 Held his peace, as if resolving. 
 And then answered '^ There is nothing. 
 Nothing but the bulrush yonder, ^^^ 
 
 Nothing but the great Apukwa ! ' ' 
 
 And as Mudjekeewis, rising. 
 Stretched his hand to pluck the bulrush, 
 Hiawatha cried in terror, 
 
Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis 29 
 
 Cried in well-dissembled terror, 140 
 
 ^'Kago! kago! do not touch it!" 
 *^Ab, kaween!" said Mudjekeewis, 
 *^No indeed, I will not touch it!" 
 
 Then they talked of other matters; 
 First of Hiawatha's brothers. 145 
 
 First of Wabun, of the East-Wind, 
 Of the South-Wind, Shawondasee, 
 Of the North, Kabibonokka ; 
 Then of Hiawatha's mother, 
 Of the beautiful Wenonah, 150 
 
 Of her birth upon the meadow. 
 Of her. death, as old Nokomis 
 Had remembered and related. 
 
 And he cried, ''0 .Mudjekeewis, 
 It was you who killed Wenonah, ^^^ 
 
 Took her young life and her beauty. 
 Broke the Lily of tht Prairie, 
 Trampled it beneath your footsteps ; 
 You confess it! you confess it!" 
 And the mighty Mudjekeewis i^o 
 
 Tossed upon the wind his tresses, 
 Bowed his hoary head in anguish, 
 With a silent nod assented. 
 
 Then up started Hiawatha, 
 And with threatening look and gesture ^^^ 
 
 Laid his hand upon the black ro'ck 
 On the fatal Wawbeek laid it, 
 With his mittens, Minjekahwun, 
 Rent the jutting crag asunder. 
 Smote and crushed it into fragments, ^'^^ 
 
 Hurled them madly at his father, 
 The remorseful Mudjekeewis, 
 For his heart was hot within him, 
 Like a living coal his heart was. 
 
 But the ruler of the West- Wind 1^5 
 
30 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Blew the fragments backward from him, 
 
 With the breathing of his nostrils, 
 
 With the tempest of his anger, 
 
 Blew them back at his assailant; 
 
 Seized the bulrush, the Apukwa, i^^ 
 
 Dragged it with its roots and fibres 
 
 From the margin of the meadow, 
 
 From its ooze, the giant buhnish; 
 
 Long and loud laughed Hiawatha ! 
 
 Then began the deadly conflict, 185 
 
 Hand to hand among the mountains; 
 From his eyry screamed the eagle. 
 The Keneu, the great war-eagle. 
 Sat upon the crags around them. 
 Wheeling flapped his wings above them. i^^ 
 
 Like a tall tree in the tempest 
 Bemt and lashed the giant bulrush; 
 And in masses huge and heavy 
 Orashing fell the fatal Wawbeek; . 
 Till the earth shook with the tumult i^s 
 
 And confusion of the battle, 
 And the air was full of shoutings. 
 And the thunder of the mountains, 
 Starting, answered, ^ ' Baim-wawa ! " 
 
 Back retreated Mudjekeewis, 200 
 
 Rushing westward o'er the mountains, 
 Stumbling westward down the mountains. 
 Three whole days retreated fighting, 
 Still pursued by Hiawatha 
 
 To the doorways of the West-Wind, 205 
 
 To the portals of the Sunset, 
 To the earth's remotest border. 
 Where into the empty spaces 
 Sinks the sun, as a flamingo 
 
 Drops into her nest at nightfall, 210 
 
 In the melanoholy marshes. 
 
Hiawatha and Mudjekeewis 31 
 
 **Hold!'' at length cried Mudjekeewis, 
 
 *^Hold, my son, my Hiawatha! 
 
 'Tis impossible to kill me, 
 
 For you cannot kill the immortal. 215 
 
 I have put you to this trial, 
 
 But to know and prove your courage; 
 
 Now receive the prize of valor! 
 
 ^*Go back to your home and people. 
 Live among them, toil among them, 220 
 
 Cleanse the earth from all that liarms it, 
 Clear the fishing-grounds and rivers, 
 Slay all monsters and magicians. 
 All the Wendigoes, the giants, 
 All the serpents, the Kenabeeks, 225 
 
 As I slew the Mishe-Mokwa, 
 Slew the Great Bear of the mountains. 
 
 ^'And at last when Death draws near you. 
 When the awful eyes of Pauguk 
 Glare upon you in the darkness, 230 
 
 I will share my kingdom with you, 
 Ruler shall you be thenceforward 
 Of the Northwest- Wind, Keewaydin, 
 Of the home-wind, the Keewaydin." 
 
 Thus was fought that famous battle 235 
 
 In the dreadful days of Shah-shah, 
 In the days long since departed, 
 In the kingdom of the West-W^ind. 
 Still the hunter sees its traces 
 Scattered far o'er hill and valley; 240 
 
 Sees the giant bulrush growing 
 By the ponds and water-courses. 
 Sees the masses of the Wawbeek 
 Lying still in every valley. 
 
 Homeward now went Hiawatha ; 245 
 
 Pleasant was the landscape round him, 
 Pleasant was the air above him, 
 
32 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 For the bitterness of anger 
 
 Had departed wholly from him, 
 
 From his brain the thought of vengeance, ^^^ 
 
 From his heart the burning fever. 
 
 Only once his pace he slackened, 
 Only once he paused or halted, 
 Paused to purchase heads of arrows 
 Of the ancient Arrow-maker, 255 
 
 In the land of the Dacotahs, 
 Where the Falls of Minnehaha 
 Flash and gleam among the oak-trees, 
 Laugh and leap into the valley. 
 
 There the ancient Arrow-maker ^60 
 
 Made his arrow-heads of sandstone, 
 Arrow-heads of chalcedony, 
 Arrow-heads of flint and jasper, 
 Smoothed and sharpened at the edges. 
 Hard and polished, keen and costly. 265 
 
 With him dwelt his dark-eyed daughter. 
 Wayward as the Minnehaha, 
 With her moods of shade and sunshine, 
 Eyes that smiled and frowned alternate. 
 Feet as rapid as the river, 270 
 
 Tresses flowing like the water. 
 And as musical a laughter; 
 And he named her from the river, 
 Form the water-fall he named her, 
 Minnehaha, Laughing Water. 275 
 
 Was it then for heads of arrows. 
 Arrow-heads of chalcedony, 
 Arrow-heads of flint and jasper. 
 That my Hiawatha halted 
 In the land of the Dacotahs? 280 
 
 Was it not to see the maiden, 
 See the face of Laughing Water 
 Peeping from behind the curtain, 
 
Hiawatha's Fasting 33 
 
 Hear the rustling of her garments 
 
 Prom behind the waving curtain, 285 
 
 As one sees the Minnehaha 
 
 Gleaming, glancing through the branches, 
 
 As one hears the Laughing Water 
 
 From behind its screen of branches! 
 
 Who shall say what thoughts and visions 290 
 Fill the fiery brains of vouns; men? 
 Who shall say what dreams of beauty 
 Filled the heart of Hiawatha! 
 All he told to old Nokomis, 
 When he reached the lodge at sunset, 295 
 
 Was the meeting with his father. 
 Was his fight with Mudjekeewis; 
 Not a word he said of arrows, 
 Not a word of Laughing Water ! 
 
 V. 
 
 Hiawatha's fasting. 
 
 You shall hear how Hiawatha 
 
 Prayed and fasted in the forest. 
 
 Not for greater skill in hunting, 
 
 Not for greater craft in fishing, 
 
 Not for triumphs in the battle 5 
 
 And renown among the warriors. 
 
 But for profit of the people, 
 
 For advantage of the nations. 
 
 First he built a lodge for fasting. 
 Built a wigwam in the forest, 10 
 
 By the shining Big-Sea-Water, 
 In the blithe and pleasant Spring-time, 
 In the Moon of Leaves he built it. 
 And, with dreams and visions many. 
 Seven whole days and nights he fasted. ^^ 
 
20 
 
 34 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 On the first day of his fasting 
 Through the leafy woods he wandered; 
 Saw the deer start from the thicket, 
 Saw the rabbit in his burrow, 
 Heard the pheasant, Bena, drumming, 
 Heard the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 Eattling in his hoard of acorns, 
 Saw the pigeon, the Omeme, 
 Building nests among the pine-trees. 
 And in flocks the wild goose, Wawa, ^5 
 
 Flying to the fen-lands northward, 
 Whirring, wailing far above him. 
 ^'Master of Life!'' he cried, desponding, 
 ^'Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the next day of his fasting ^^ 
 
 By the river's brink he wandered. 
 Through the Muskoday, the meadow, 
 Saw the wild rice, Mahnomonee, 
 Saw the blueberry, Meenahga, 
 And the strawberry, Odahmin, • ^s 
 
 And the gooseberrj^, Shahbomin, 
 And the grape-vine, the Bemahgut, 
 Trailing o'er the alder-branches, 
 Filling all the air with fragrance! 
 ^^ Master of Life!" he cried, desponding, 4o 
 
 ^'Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the third day of his fasting 
 By the lake he sat and pondered, 
 By the still, transparent water; 
 Saw the sturgeon, Nahma, leaping, ^5 
 
 Scattering drops like beads of wampum. 
 Saw the yellow perch, the Sahwa, 
 Like a sunbeam in the water, 
 Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, 
 And the herring, Okahahwis, ^^ 
 
 And the Shawgashee, the craw-fish! 
 
Hiawatha's Fasting 35 
 
 ^^ Master of Life!'' he cried, desponding, 
 *^Must our lives depend on these things?" 
 
 On the fourth day of his fasting 
 In his lodge he lay exhausted; ^^ 
 
 From his couch of leaves and branches 
 Gazing with half-open eyelids. 
 Full of shadowy dreams and visions, 
 On the dizzy, swimming landscape, 
 On the gleaming of the water, ^^ 
 
 On the splendor of the sunset. 
 
 And he saw a youth approaching. 
 Dressed in garments green and yellow. 
 Coming through the purple twilight, 
 Through the splendor of the sunset; ^^ 
 
 Plumes of green bent o'er his forehead. 
 And his hair was soft and golden. 
 
 Standing at the open doorway. 
 Long he looked at Hiawatha, 
 Looked with pity and compassion "^^ 
 
 On his wasted forai and features, 
 And, in accents like the sighing 
 Of the South- Wind in the tree-tops. 
 Said he, **0 my Hiawatha! 
 
 All your prayers are heard in heaven, '^^ 
 
 For you pray not like the others ; 
 Not for greater skill in hunting. 
 Not for greater craft in fishing, 
 Not for triumph in the battle, 
 Nor renown among the warriors, 80 
 
 But for profit of the people. 
 For advantage of the nations. 
 
 ^<From the Master of Life descending, 
 T, the friend of man, Mondamin, 
 Oome to warn you and instruct you, 85 
 
 How by struggle and by labor 
 You shall gain what you have prayed for. 
 
36 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 liise up from your bed of branches, 
 Rise, youth, and wrestle with me!" 
 
 Faint with famine, Hiawatha ^^ 
 
 Started from his bed of branches, 
 From the twilight of his wigwam 
 Forth into the flush of sunset 
 Came, and wrestled with Mondaminj 
 At his touch he felt new courage ^^ 
 
 Throbbing in his brain and bosom, 
 Felt new life and hope and vigor 
 Run through every nerve and fibre. 
 
 So they wrestled there together 
 In the glory of the sunset, ^^^ 
 
 And the more they strove and struggled. 
 Stronger still grew Hiawatha; 
 Till the darkness fell around them. 
 And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From her nest among the pine-trees, ^^^ 
 
 Gave a cry of lamentation. 
 Gave a scream of pain and famine. 
 
 ' ' 'Tis enough ! ' ' then said Mondamin, 
 Smiling upon Hiawatha, 
 
 "But to-morrow when the sun sets, i^^ 
 
 I will come again to try you." 
 And he vanished, and was seen not; 
 Whether sinking as the rain sinks, 
 AYliether rising as the mists rise, 
 Hiawatha saw not, knew not, ii^ 
 
 Only saw that he had vanished, 
 Leaving him alone and fainting. 
 With the misty lake below him, 
 And the reeling stars above him. 
 
 On the morrow and the next day, 120 
 
 AVhen the sun through heaven descending, 
 Like a red and burning cinder 
 From the hearth of the Great Spirit, 
 
Hiawatha's Fasting 37 
 
 Fell into the western waters, 
 
 Came Mondamin for the trial, ^^^ 
 
 For the strife with Hiawatha ; 
 
 Game as silent as the dew comes. 
 
 From the empty air appearing, 
 
 Into empty air returning. 
 
 Taking shape when earth it touches i^^ 
 
 But invisible to all men 
 
 In its coming and its going. 
 
 Thrice they wrestled there together 
 In the glory of the sunset, 
 
 Till the darkness fell around them, i^^ 
 
 Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From her nest among the pine-trees, 
 Uttered her loud cry of famine, 
 And Mondamin paused to listen. 
 
 Tall and beautiful he stood there ^^o 
 
 In his garments green and yellow; 
 To and fro his plumes above him 
 Waved and nodded with his breathing, 
 And the sweat of the encounter 
 Stood like, drops of dew uj^on him. 1^5 
 
 And he cried, ' ^ O Hiawatha ! 
 Bravely have yoiu wrestled with me. 
 Thrice have wrestled stoutly with me, 
 And the Master of Life, who sees us. 
 He will give to you the triumph ! ' ' i^o 
 
 Then he smiled and said: "To-morrow 
 Is the last day of your conflict. 
 Is the last day of your fasting. 
 You will conquer and overcome me; 
 Make a bed for me to lie in, i^^ 
 
 Where the rain may fall upon me. 
 Where the sun may come and warm me ; 
 Strip these garments, green and yellow, 
 Strip this nodding plumage from me. 
 
38 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Lay me in the earth and make it i^o 
 
 Soft and loose and light above me. 
 
 ''Let no hand disturb my slumber, 
 Let no weed nor worm molest me, 
 Let not Kahgaligee, the raven, 
 Come to haunt me and molest me, i^s 
 
 Only come yourself to watch me. 
 Till I wake, and start, and quicken, 
 Till I leap into the sunshine." 
 
 And thus saying, he departed; 
 Peacefully slept Hiawatha, i^o 
 
 But he heard the Wawonaissa, 
 Heard the whippoorwill complaining. 
 Perched upon his lonely wigwam ; 
 Heard the rushing Sebowisha, 
 Heard the rivulet rippling near him, ^"^^ 
 
 Talking to the darksome forest; 
 Heard the sighing of the branches, 
 As they lifted and subsided 
 At the passing of the night-wind, 
 Heard them, as one hears in slumber i^^ 
 
 Far-off murmurs, dreamy whispers: 
 Peacefully slept Hiawatha. 
 
 On the morrow came Nokomis, 
 On the seventh day of his fasting, 
 Came with food for Hiawatha ^^^ 
 
 Came imploring and bewailing, 
 Lest his hunger should overcome him. 
 Lest his fasting should be fatal. 
 
 But he tasted not, and touched not. 
 Only said to her, "Nokomis, '^^^ 
 
 Wait until the sun is setting, 
 Till the darkness falls around us, 
 Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 Crying from the desolate marshes. 
 Tells us that the day is ended." . i^^ 
 
Hiawatha*s Fasting 39 
 
 Homeward weeping went Nokomis, 
 Sorrowing for her Hiawatha 
 Fearing lest his strength should fail him, 
 Lest his fasting should be fatal. 
 He meanwhile sat weary waiting ^^^ 
 
 For the coming of Mondamin 
 Till the shadows, pointing eastward, 
 Lengthened over field and forest. 
 Till the sun dropped from the heaven. 
 Floating on the waters westward, 205 
 
 As a red leaf in the Autumn 
 Falls and floats upon the water. 
 Falls and sinks into its bosom. 
 
 And behold! the young Mondamin, 
 With his soft and shining tresses, 210 
 
 With his garments green and yellow. 
 With his long and glossy plumage, 
 Stood and beckoned at the doorway. 
 And as one in slumber walking. 
 Pale and haggard, but undaunted, 215 
 
 From the wigwam Hiawatha 
 Came and wrestled with Mondamin. 
 
 Round about him spun the landscape. 
 Sky and forest reeled together, 
 And his strong heart leaped within him, 220 
 
 As the sturgeon leaps and struggles 
 In a net to break its meshes. 
 Like a ring of fire around him 
 Blazed and flared the red horizon, 
 And a hundred suns seemed looking * 225 
 
 At the combat of the wrestlers. 
 
 Suddenly upon the greensward 
 All alone stood Hiawatha, 
 Panting with his wild exertion. 
 Palpitating with the struggle; 230 
 
 And before him, breathless, lifeless, 
 
40 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Lay the youth, with hair dishevelled, 
 Plumage torn, and garments tattered, 
 Dead he lay there in the sunset. 
 
 And victorious Hiawatha 235 
 
 Made the grave as he commanded, 
 Stripped the garments from Mondamin, 
 Stripped his tattered plumage from him, 
 Laid him in the earth and made it 
 Soft and loose and light above him; 240 
 
 And the heron the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 From the melancholy moorlands. 
 Gave a cry of lamentation. 
 Gave a cry of pain and anguish! 
 
 Homeward then went Hiawatha ^45 
 
 To the lodge of old Nokomis, 
 And the seven days of his fasting- 
 Were accomplished and completed. 
 But the place was not forgotten 
 AVhere he wrestled with Mondamin ; 250 
 
 Nor forgotten nor neglected 
 Was the grave where lay Mondamin, 
 Sleeping in the rain and sunshine, 
 AVhere his scattered plumes and garments 
 Faded in the rain and sunshine. 255 
 
 Day by day did Hiawatha 
 Go to wait and watch beside it; 
 Kept the dark mould soft above it. 
 Kept it clean from weeds and insects, 
 Drove away, with scoffs and shoutings 260 
 
 Kahgahgee, the king of ravens. 
 
 Till at length a small green feather 
 From the earth shot slowly upward, 
 Then another and another, 
 
 And before the Summer ended ^65 
 
 Stood the maize in all its beauty. 
 With its shining robes about it. 
 
Hiawatha's Friends 41 
 
 And its long, soft, yellow tresses; 
 
 And in rapture Hiawatha 
 
 Cried aloud, ''It is Mondamin! 270 
 
 Yes, the friend of man, Mondamin!" 
 
 Then he called to old Xokomis 
 And lagoo, the great boaster, 
 Showed them where the maize was growing, 
 Told them of his wondrous vision, 275 
 
 Of his wrestling and his triumph 
 Of this new gift to the nations. 
 Which should be their food forever. 
 
 And still later, when the Autumn 
 Changed the long, green leaves to yellow, ^80 
 
 And the soft and juicy kernels 
 Grew like wampum hard and yellow. 
 Then the ripened ears he gathered. 
 Stripped the withered husks from off them, 
 As he once had stripped the wrestler, 285 
 
 Gave the first Feast of Mondamin, 
 And made known unto the people 
 This new gift of the Great Spirit. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Hiawatha's friends. 
 
 Two good friends had Hiawatha, 
 
 Singled out from all the others, 
 
 Bound to him in closest union 
 
 And to whom he gave the rigth hand 
 
 Of his heart, in joy and sorrow; 
 
 Chibiabos, the musician. 
 
 And the very strong man, Kwasind. 
 
 Straight between them ran the pathway, 
 Never grew the grass upon it; 
 
42 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Singing birds, that utter falsehoods, ^^ 
 
 Story-tellers, mischief-makers, 
 
 Pound no eager ear to listen. 
 
 Could not breed ill-will between them, 
 
 For they kept each other's counsel. 
 
 Spake with naked hearts together, ^^ 
 
 Pondering much and much contriving 
 
 How the tribes of men might prosper. 
 
 Most beloved by Hiawatha 
 Was the gentle Chibiabos, 
 
 He the best of all musicians, 20 
 
 He the sweetest of all singers. 
 Beautiful and childlike was he. 
 Brave as man is, soft as woman, 
 Pliant as a wand of willow. 
 Stately as a deer with antlers. 25 
 
 When he sang, the village listened ; 
 All the warriors gathered round him. 
 All the women came to hear him; 
 Now he stirred their souls to passion. 
 Now he melted them to pity. ^^ 
 
 From the hollow reeds he fashioned 
 Flutes so musical and mellow. 
 That the brook, the Sebowisha, 
 Ceased to murmur in the woodland. 
 That the wood-birds ceased from singing, 35 
 
 And the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 Ceased his chatter in the oak-tree. 
 And the rabbit, the Wabasso, 
 Sat upright to look and listen. 
 
 Yes, the brook, the Sebowisha, ^^ 
 
 Pausing, said, ^'0 Chibiabos, 
 Teach my waves to flow in music, 
 Softly as your words in singing!" 
 
 Yes, the bluebird, the Owaissa, 
 Envious, said, ^'0 Chibiabos, 45 
 
Hiawatha's Friends 43 
 
 Teach me tones as wild and wayward, 
 Teach me songs as full of frenzy!" 
 
 Yes, the robin, the Opechee, 
 Joyous, said, ^'0 Chibiabos, 
 
 Teach me tones as sweet and tender, ^^ 
 
 Teach me songs as full of gladness!" 
 
 And the whippoorwill, Wawonaissa, 
 Sobbing, said, "0 Chibiabos, 
 Teach me tones as melancholy. 
 Teach me songs as full of sadness!" ^^ 
 
 All the many sounds of nature 
 Borrowed sweetness from his singing; 
 All the hearts of men were softened 
 By the pathos of his music; 
 
 For he sang of peace and freedom, ^^ 
 
 Sang of beauty, love, and longing; 
 Sang of death, and life undying 
 In the Islands of the Blessed, 
 In the kingdom of Ponemah, 
 In the land of the Hereafter. 65 
 
 Very dear to Hiawatha 
 Was the gentle Chibiabos, 
 He the best of all musicians. 
 He the sweetest of all singers; 
 For his gentleness he loved him, "^o 
 
 And the magic of his singing. 
 
 Dear, too, unto Hiawatha 
 Was the very strong man, Kwasind, 
 He the strongest of all mortals. 
 He the mightiest among many ; '^^ 
 
 For his very strength he loved him, 
 For his strength allied to goodness. 
 
 Idle in his youth was Kwasind, 
 Very listless, dull, and dreamy, 
 Never played with other children. 
 Never fished and, never hunted. 
 
 80 
 
95 
 
 4^ The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Not like other children was he; 
 
 But they saw that much he fasted, 
 
 Much his Manito entreated, 
 
 Much besought his Guardian Spirit. 85 
 
 "Lazy Kw^asind!" said his mother, 
 ' ' In my work you never help me ! 
 In the Sunnner you are roaming 
 Idly in the fields and forests; 
 In the Winter you are cowering ^o 
 
 O'er the firebrands in the wigwam! 
 In the coldest days of Winter 
 I must break the ice for fishing; 
 With my nets you never help me! 
 At the door my nets are hanging, 
 Dripping, freezing with the water; 
 Go and wring them Yenadizze! 
 Go and dry them in the sunshine ! ' ' 
 
 Slowly, from the ashes, Kwasind 
 Eose, but made no angry answer; 
 From the lodge went forth in silence, 
 Took the nets, that hung together, 
 Dripping, freezing at the doorway; 
 Like a w^isp of straw he wrung them, 
 Like a wisp of straw he broke them, i^^ 
 
 Could not wring them without breaking, 
 Such the strength was in his fingers. 
 
 "Lazy Kwasind!" said his father, 
 "In the hunt you never help me; 
 Every bow you touch is broken, n^ 
 
 Snapped asunder every arrow; 
 Yet come with me to the forest, 
 You shall bring the hunting homeward." 
 
 Down a narrow path they wandered, 
 Where a brooklet led them onward, us 
 
 Where the trail of deer and bison 
 Marked the soft mud on the margin, 
 
 100 
 
Hiawatha's Friends 45 
 
 Till they found all further passage 
 
 Shut against them, barred securely 
 
 By the trunks of trees uprooted, 120 
 
 Lying lengthwise, lying crosswise. 
 
 And forbidding further passage. 
 
 ''We must go back," said the old man, 
 ''O'er these logs we cannot clamber; 
 Not a woodchuck could get through them, 125 
 Not a squirrel clamber o'er them!" 
 And straightway his pipe he lighted, 
 And sat down to smoke and ponder. 
 But before his pipe was finished, 
 Lo! the path was cleared before him: i^^ 
 
 All the trunks had Kwasind lifted, 
 To the right hand, to the left hand. 
 Shot the pine-trees swift as arrows. 
 Hurled the cedars light as lances. 
 
 "Lazy Kwasind!" said the young men, 1^5 
 
 As they sported in the meadow; 
 "Why stand idly looking at us. 
 Leaning on the rock behind you! 
 Come and wrestle with the others, 
 Let us pitch the quoit together!" i^o 
 
 Lazy Kwasind made no answer. 
 To their challenge made no answer. 
 Only rose, and, slowly turning, 
 Seized the huge rock in his fingers. 
 Tore it from its deep foundation, 145 
 
 Poised it in the air a moment, 
 Pitched it sheer into the river. 
 Sheer into the swift Pauwating, 
 Where it still is seen in Summer. 
 
 Once as down that foaming river, ^^^ 
 
 Down the rapids of Pauwating, 
 Kwasind sailed with his companions, 
 In the stream he saw a beaver. 
 
46 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Saw Alimeck, the King of Beavers, 
 
 Struggling with the rushing currents, ^^^ 
 
 Rising, sinking in the water. 
 
 Without speaking, without pausing, 
 Kwasind leaped into the river. 
 Plunged beneath the bubbling surface. 
 Through the whirlpools chased the beaver, ^^^ 
 Followed him along the islands. 
 Stayed so long beneath the water, 
 That his terrified companions 
 Cried, "Alas! good-by to Kwasind! 
 We shall never more see Kwasind!" ^^^ 
 
 But he reappeared triumphant, 
 And ujjon his shining shoulders 
 Brought the beaver, dead and dripping. 
 Brought the King of all the Beavers. 
 
 And these two, as I have told you, i"^^ 
 
 Were the friends of Hiawatha, 
 Chibiabos, the musician. 
 And the very strong man, Kwasind. 
 Long they lived in peace together. 
 Spake with naked hearts together, 1^5 
 
 Pondering much and much contriving 
 How the tribes of men might prosper. 
 
 VII. 
 
 Hiawatha's sailing. 
 
 "Give me of your bark, Birch-Tree! 
 Of your yellow bark, Birch-Tree! 
 Growing by the rushing river, 
 Tall and stately in the valley! 
 I a light canoe will build me. 
 Build a swift Cheemaun for sailing. 
 That shall float upon the river, 
 
Hiawatha's Sailing 47 
 
 Like a yellow leaf in Autumn, 
 Like a yellow water-lily! 
 
 *^Lay aside your cloak, Birch-Tree! ^^ 
 
 Lay aside your wliite-skin wrapper, 
 For the Summer-time is coming, 
 And the sun is warm in heaven, 
 And you need no white-skin wrapper!" 
 
 Thus aloud cried Hiawatha ^^ 
 
 In the solitary forest. 
 By the rushing Taquamenaw, 
 When the birds were singing gayly. 
 In the Moon of Leaves were singing. 
 And the sun, from sleep awaking, 20 
 
 Started up and said, "Behold me! 
 Gheezis, tlie great Sun, behold me!" 
 
 And the tree with all its branches 
 Rustled in the breeze of morning. 
 Saying, with a sigh of patience, 25 
 
 ^ ^ Take my cloak, Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 With his knife the tree he girdled; 
 Just beneath its lowest branches. 
 Just above the roots, he cut it. 
 Till the sap came oozing outward; ^^ 
 
 Down the trunk from top to bottom, 
 Sheer he cleft the bark asunder, 
 With a wooden wedge he raised it, 
 Stripped it from the trunk unbroken. 
 
 **Give me of your boughs, Cedar! ^5 
 
 Of your strong and pliant branches. 
 My canoe to make more steady. 
 Make more strong and firm beneath me!" 
 
 Through the summit of the Cedar 
 Went a sound, a ciy of horror, 40 
 
 Went a murmur of resistance; 
 But it whispered, bending downward, 
 "Take my boughs, Hiawatha!" 
 
48 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Down he hewed the boughs of cedar, 
 Shaped them straightway to a framework, ^^ 
 
 Like two bows he formed and shaped them, 
 Like two bended bows together. 
 
 ^^Give me of your roots, Tamarack! 
 Of your fibrous roots, Larch-Tree! 
 My canoe to bind together, 50 
 
 So to bind the ends togetlier 
 That the water may not enter, 
 That the river may not wet me ! ' ' 
 
 And the Larch, with all its fibres, 
 Shivered in the air of morning, , ^^ 
 
 Touched his forehead with its tassels. 
 Said, with one long sigh of sorrow, 
 ''Take them all, Hiawatha!" 
 
 From the earth he tore the fibres, 
 Tore the tough roots of the Larch-Tree, ^^ 
 
 Closely sewed the bark together, 
 Bound it closely to the framework. 
 
 ''Give me of your balm, Fir-Tree! 
 Of your balsam and your resin. 
 So to close the seams together ^^ 
 
 That the water may not enter. 
 That the river may not wet me!" 
 
 And the Fir- Tree, tall and sombre, 
 Sobbed through all its robes of darkness. 
 Rattled like a shore with pebbles, '^^ 
 
 Answered wailing, answered weeping, 
 ' ' Take my balm, Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 And he took the tears of balsam. 
 Took the resin of the Fir-Tree, 
 Smeared therewith each seam and fissure, '^^ 
 
 Made each crevice safe from water. 
 
 *'Give me of your quills, Hedgehog! 
 All your quills, O Kagh, the Hedgehog! 
 I will make a necklace of them, 
 
Hiawatha's Sailing 49 
 
 Make a girdle for my beauty, ^^ 
 
 And two stars to deck her bosom ! ' ' 
 
 From a hollow tree the Hedgehog 
 With his sleepy eyes looked at him, 
 Shot his shining quills, like arrows, 
 Saying, with a drowsy murmur, ^^ 
 
 Through the tangle of his whiskers, 
 ' ' Take my quills, Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 From the ground the quills he gathered. 
 All the little shining arrows. 
 Stained them red and blue and yellow, ^^ 
 
 With the juice of roots and berries; 
 Into his canoe he wrought them, 
 Round its waist a shining girdle, 
 Eound its bows a gleaming necklace. 
 On its breast two stars resplendent. ^^ 
 
 Thus the Birch Canoe was builded 
 In the valley, by the river, 
 In the bosom of the forest ; 
 And the forest's life was in it, 
 All its mystery and its magic, i^^ 
 
 All the lightness of the birch-tree. 
 All the toughness of the cedar, 
 All the larch's supple sinews; 
 And it floated on the river, 
 
 Like a yellow leaf in Autumn, i^^ 
 
 Like a yellow water-lily. 
 
 Paddles none had Hiawatha, 
 Paddles none he had or needed. 
 For his thoughts as paddles served him. 
 And his wishes served to guide him; ^^'^ 
 
 Swift or slow at will he glided 
 Veered to right or left at pleasure. 
 
 Tlien he called aloud to Kwasind, 
 To his friend, the strong man. Kwasind, 
 Saying, ''Help me clear this river ii^ 
 
50 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Of its sunken logs and sand-bars." 
 
 Straight into the river Kwasind 
 Plunged as if he were an otter, 
 Dived as if he were a beaver, 
 Stood up to his waist in water, ^^o 
 
 To his arm-pits in the river. 
 Swam and shouted in the river, 
 Tugged at sunken logs and branches, 
 With his hands he scooped the sand-bars, 
 With his feet the ooze and tangle. ^^s 
 
 And thus sailed my Hiawatha 
 Down the rushing Taquamenaw, 
 Sailed through all its bends and windings, 
 Sailed through all its deeps and shallows, 
 While his friend, the strong man, Kwasind, ^^^ 
 Swam the deeps, the shallows waded. 
 
 Up and down the river went they. 
 In and out among its islands, 
 Cleared its bed of root and sand-bar. 
 Dragged the dead trees from its channel, ^^^ 
 
 Made its passage safe and certain, 
 Made a pathway for the people. 
 From its springs among the mountains, 
 To the waters of Pauwating, 
 To the bay of Taquamenaw. ^^^ 
 
 VIII. 
 
 Hiawatha's fishing. 
 
 Forth upon the Gitche Gumee, 
 On the shining Big-Sea-Water, 
 With his fishing-line of cedar. 
 Of the twisted bark of cedar, 
 Forth to catch the sturgeon Nahma, 
 Mishe-Nahma, King of Fishes 
 
Hiawatha's Fishing 51 
 
 In his birch canoe exulting 
 All alone went Hiawatha. 
 
 Through the clear, transparent water 
 He could see the fishes swinuning lo 
 
 Far down in the depths below him; 
 See the yellow perch, the Sahwa, 
 Like a sunbeam in the water, 
 See the Shawgashee, the craw-fish, 
 Like a spider on the bottom, i^ 
 
 On the white and sandy bottom. 
 
 At the stern sat Hiawatha, 
 With his fishing-line of cedar; 
 In his plumes the breeze of morning 
 Played as in the hemlock branches; 20 
 
 On the bows, with tail erected. 
 Sat the squirrel, Adjidaumo ; 
 In his fur the breeze of morning 
 Played as in the prairie grasses. 
 
 On the white sand of the bottom ^5 
 
 Lay the monster Mishe-Nahma, 
 Lay the sturgeon. King of Fishes ; 
 Through his gills he breathed the water. 
 With his fins he fanned and winnowed, 
 With his tail he swept the sand-floor. 30 
 
 There he lay in all his armor; 
 On each side a shield to guard him, 
 Plates of bone upon his forehead, 
 Down his sides and back and shoulders 
 Plates of bone with spine projecting, 35 
 
 Painted was he with his war-paints 
 Stripes of yellow, red and azure, 
 Spots of brown and spots of sable; 
 And he lay there on the bottom. 
 Fanning with his fins of purple, 40 
 
 As above him Hiawatha 
 In his birch canoe came sailing. 
 
52 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 With his fishing-line of cedar. 
 
 ''Take my bait!" cried Hiawatha, 
 Down into the depths beneath him, ^^ 
 
 ' ' Take my bait, Sturgeon, Xalima ! 
 Come up from below the water, 
 Let us see which is the stronger ! " 
 And he dropped his line of cedar 
 Through the clear, transparent water, ^^ 
 
 Waited vainly for an answer, 
 Long sat waiting for an answer. 
 And repeating loud and louder, 
 ''Take my bait, King of Fishes!" 
 
 Quiet lay the sturgeon, Xahma, 55 
 
 Fanning slowly in the water, 
 Looking up at Hiawatha, 
 Listening to his call and clamor. 
 His unnecessary tumult, 
 
 Till he wearied of the shouting; 60 
 
 And he said to the Kenozha, 
 To the pike, the Maskenozha, 
 "Take the bait of this rude fellow. 
 Break the line of Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 In his fingers Hiawatha ^5 
 
 Felt the loose line jerk and tighten; 
 As he drew it in, it tugged so. 
 That the birch canoe stood endwise, 
 Like a birch log in the water, 
 With the squirrel, Adjidaumo, "^o 
 
 Perched and frisking on the summit. 
 
 Full of scorn was Hiawatha 
 When he saw the fish rise upward. 
 Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, 
 Coming nearer, nearer to him, 75 
 
 And he shouted through the water, 
 " Esa ! esa ! shame upon you ! 
 You are but the pike^ Kenozha, 
 
Hiawatha's Fishing 53 
 
 You are uot the fish 1 wanted, 
 
 You are not the King of Fislies!" ^o 
 
 lieeling downward to tlie bottom 
 Sank the i^ike in great confusion, 
 And the mighty sturgeon, Xahma, 
 Said to Ugudwash, the sun-fish, 
 To the bream, with scales of crimson, 85 
 
 ^'Take the bait of this great boaster. 
 Break the line of Hiawatha!" 
 
 Slowly upward, wavering, gleaming, 
 Eose the Ugudwash, the sun-fish, 
 Seized the line of Hiawatha, 90 
 
 Swung with all his weight upon it, 
 Made a whirlpool in the w^ater, 
 Whirled the birch canoe in circles, 
 Eound and round in gurgling eddies. 
 Till the circles in the water ^^ 
 
 Reached the far-off sandy beaches. 
 Till the water-flags and rushes 
 Nodded on the distant margins. 
 
 But when Hiawatha saw him 
 Slowly rising through the water, i^o 
 
 Lifting up his disk refulgent, 
 Loud he shouted in derision, 
 ^^Esa! esa! shame upon you! 
 You are Ugudwash, the sun-fish, 
 You are not the fish I wanted, i^s 
 
 You are not the King of Fishes ! " 
 
 Slowly downward, wavering, gleaming, 
 Sank the Ugudwash, the sun-fish, 
 And again the sturgeon Nahma, 
 Heard the shout of Hiawatha, no 
 
 Heard his challenge of defiance. 
 The unnecessary tumult, 
 Einging far across the water. 
 
 From the white sand of the bottom 
 
54 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Up lie rose with angry gesture, us 
 
 Quivering in each nerve and fibre, 
 
 Clashing all his i>lates of annor, 
 
 Gleaming bright with all his war-paint; 
 
 In his wrath he darted upward, 
 
 Flashing leaped into the sunshine, 120 
 
 Opened his great jaws, and swallowed 
 
 Both canoe and Hiawatha. 
 
 Down into that darksome cavern 
 Plunged the headlong Hiawatha, 
 As a log on some black river 125 
 
 Shoots and plunges down the rapids. 
 Found himself in utter darkness, 
 Groped about in helpless wonder, 
 Till he felt a great heart beating. 
 Throbbing in that utter darkness. i^o 
 
 And he smote it in his anger, 
 With his fist, the heart of Nahma, 
 Felt the mighty King of Fishes 
 Shudder through each nerve and fibre, 
 Heard the water gurgle round him 1^5 
 
 As he leaped and staggered through it. 
 Sick at heart, and faint and weary. 
 
 Crosswise then did Hiawatha 
 Drag his birch-canoe for safety, 
 Lest from out the jaws of Nahma, i^o 
 
 In the turmoil and confusion, 
 Forth he might be hurled and perish. 
 And the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 Frisked and chattered very gayly. 
 Toiled and tugged with Hiawatha 145 
 
 Till he grated on the pebbles. 
 
 Then said Hiawatha to him, 
 ^^O my little friend, the squirrel, 
 Bravely have you toiled to help me; 
 Take the thanks of Hiawatha. 150 
 
Hiawatha's Fishing 55 
 
 x\nd the name which noAV he gives you; 
 For hereafter and forever 
 Boys shall call you Adjidaumo, 
 Tail-in-air the boys shall call you!^' 
 
 And again the sturgeon, Nahma, ^^^ 
 
 Gasped and quivered in the water, 
 Then was still, and drifted landward 
 Till he grated on the pebbles, 
 Till the listening Hiawatha 
 
 Heard him grate upon the margin, ^^^ 
 
 Felt him strand upon the pebbles. 
 Knew that Nahma, King of Fishes, 
 Lay there dead upon the -margin. 
 
 Then he heard a clang and flapping. 
 As of many wings assembling, i^^ 
 
 Heard a screaming and confusion, 
 As of birds of prey contending. 
 Saw a gleam of light above him, 
 Shining through the ribs of Nahma, 
 Saw the glittering eyes of sea-gulls, i"^^ 
 
 Of Kayoshk, the sea-gulls, peering, 
 Gazing at him through the opening, 
 Heard them saying to each other, 
 ' ' ^Tis our brother, Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 And he shouted from below them, i*^^ 
 
 Cried exulting from the caverns:. 
 ^ ^ O ye sea-gulls ! my brothers ! 
 I have slain the sturgeon, Nahma; 
 Make the rifts a little larger. 
 With your claws the openings widen, i^o 
 
 Set me free from this dark prison. 
 And henceforward and forever 
 Men shall speak of your achievements. 
 Calling you Kayoshk, the sea-gulls, 
 Yes, Kayoshk, the Noble Scratchers!" 1^5 
 
 And the wild and clamorous sea-gulls 
 
56 The Song of Hiawatha y 
 
 Toiled with beak and claws together, 
 
 Made the rifts and openings wider 
 
 In the mighty ribs of Nahma, 
 
 And from peril and from prison, i^o 
 
 From the body of the sturgeon. 
 
 From the peril of the water. 
 
 They released my Hiawatha. 
 
 He was standing near his wigwam, 
 On the margin of the water, ^^^ 
 
 And he called to old Nokomis, 
 Called and beckoned to Nokomis, 
 Pointed to the sturgeon, Nahma, 
 Lying lifeless on the pebbles. 
 With the sea-gulls feeding on him. 200 
 
 "I harv^e slain the Mishe-Nahma, 
 Slain the King of Fishes!" said he; 
 ''Look! the sea-gulls feed upon him. 
 Yes, my friends Kayoshk, the seargulls; 
 Drive them not away, Nokomis, 205 
 
 They have saved me from great peril 
 In the body of the sturgeon. 
 Wait until their meal is ended, 
 Till their craws are full with feasting, 
 Till they homeward fly, at sunset, 210 
 
 To' their nests among the marshes ; 
 Then bring all your pots and kettles, 
 And make oil for us in Winter." 
 
 And she waited till the sun set, 
 Till the pallid moon, the Night-sun, 215 
 
 Eo'Se above the tranquil water. 
 Till Kayoshk, the sated sea-gulls, 
 From their banquet rose with clamor. 
 And across the fiery sunset 
 
 Winged their way to far-off islands, 220 
 
 To their nests among the rushes. 
 
 To his sleep went Hiawatha, 
 
Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather 57 
 
 And Nokomis to her labor, 
 
 Toiling- patient in tlie moonlight 
 
 Till the sun and moon clianged places, 225 
 
 Till the sky was red with sunrise, 
 
 And Kayoshk, the hungry sea-gulls, 
 
 Came back from the reedy islands. 
 
 Clamorous for their morning banquet. 
 
 Three whole days and nights alternate 2^*^ 
 
 Old Nokomis and the sea-gulls 
 Stripped the oily flesh of Nahma, 
 Till the waves washed through the rib-bones. 
 Till the sea-gulls came no longer. 
 And upon the sands lay nothing 235 
 
 But the skeleton of Nahma. 
 
 IX. 
 
 HIAWATHA AND THE PEAKL-FEATHEB. 
 
 On the shores of Gitche Gumee, 
 
 Of the shining Big- Sea- Water, 
 
 Stood Nokomis, the old woman, 
 
 Pointing with her finger westward, 
 
 O^er the water pointing westward, 5 
 
 To the purple clouds of sunset. 
 
 Fiercely the red sun descending 
 Burned his way along the heavens. 
 Set the sky on fire behind him, 
 As war-parties, when retreating, 10 
 
 Burn the prairies on their war-trail; 
 And the moon, the Night-sun, eastward. 
 Suddenly starting from his ambush, 
 Followed fast those bloody footprints, 
 Followed in that fiery war-trail, 15 
 
 With its glare upon his features. 
 
 And Nokomis,. the old woman, 
 
58 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Pointing with her finger westward, 
 
 Spake these words to Hiawatha : 
 
 '^ Yonder dwells the great Pearl-Feather 20 
 
 Megissogwon, the Magician, 
 
 Manito of Wealth and Wampum, 
 
 Guarded by his fiery serpents, 
 
 Guarded by the black pitch-water. 
 
 You can see his fiery serpents, 25 
 
 The Kenabeek, the great serpents. 
 
 Coiling, playing in the water; 
 
 You can see the black pitch-water 
 
 Stretching far away beyond them. 
 
 To the purple clouds of sunset! ^^ 
 
 ^'He it was who slew my father. 
 By his wicked wiles and cunning. 
 When he from the moon descended. 
 When he came on earth to seek me. 
 He, the mightiest of Magicians, ^^ 
 
 Sends the fever from the marshes. 
 Sends the pestilential vapors. 
 Sends the poisonous exhalations, 
 Sends the white fog from the fen-lands. 
 Sends disease and death among us! "^^ 
 
 '^Take your bow, Hiawatha, 
 Take your arrows, jasper-headed. 
 Take your war-club, Puggawaugun, 
 And your mittens, Minjekahwun, 
 And your birch canoe for sailing, 45 
 
 And the oil of Mishe-Nahma, 
 So to smear its sides, that swiftly 
 You may pass the black pitch-water; 
 Slay this merciless magician, 
 Save the people from the fever 
 That he breathes across the fen-lands, 
 And avenge my father's murder!" 
 
 Straightway then my Hiawatha 
 
 50 
 
60 
 
 65 
 
 70 
 
 Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather 59 
 
 Aniied himself with all his war-gear, 
 
 Launched his birch canoe for sailing; ^^ 
 
 With his palm its sides he patted, 
 
 Said with glee, '^Cheemaun, my darling, 
 
 my Birch-canoe! leap forward. 
 
 Where you see the fiery serpents, 
 
 Where you see the black pitch-water!" 
 
 Forward leaj^ed Cheemaun exulting, 
 And the Noble Hiaw^atha 
 Sang his war-song wild and woful. 
 And above him the war-eagle. 
 The Keneu, the great war-eagle, 
 Master of all fowls with feathers, 
 Screamed and hurtled through the heavens. 
 
 Soon he reached the fiery serpents. 
 The Kenabeek, the great serpents, 
 Lying huge upon the water. 
 Sparkling, rippling in the water, 
 Lying coiled across the passage. 
 With their blazing crests uplifted, 
 Breathing fieiy fogs and vapors, 
 So that none could pass beyond them. '^^ 
 
 But the fearless Hiawatha 
 Cried aloud, and spake in this wise: 
 ^'Let me pass my way, Kenabeek, 
 Let me go u^^on my journey!" 
 And they answered, hissing fiercely, ^o 
 
 With their fiery breath made answer: 
 ' ' Back, go back ! Shaugodaya ! 
 Back to old Nokomis, Faint-heart!" 
 
 Then the angr\' Hiawatha 
 Raised his mighty bow of ash-tree, ^^ 
 
 Seized his arrows, jasper-headed, 
 Shot them fast among the serpents; 
 Every twanging of the bow-string- 
 Was a war-cry and a death-cry. 
 
60 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 90 
 
 Every whizzing of an arrow 
 Was a death- song of Kenabeek. 
 
 Weltering in the bloody water, 
 Dead lay all the fiery serpents, 
 And among them Hiawatha 
 
 Harmless sailed, and cried exulting: ^^ 
 
 ^'Onward, Cheemaun, my darling! 
 Onward to the black pitch-water!" 
 
 Then he took the oil of Nahma, 
 And the bows and sides anointed. 
 Smeared them well with oil, that swiftly ^^^^ 
 
 He might pass the black pitch-water. 
 
 All night long he sailed upon it. 
 Sailed upon that sluggish water, 
 Covered with its mould of ages. 
 Black with rotting water-rushes, ^^^ 
 
 Rank with flags and leaves of lilies. 
 Stagnant, lifeless, dreary, dismal, 
 Lighted by the shimmering moonlight, 
 And by will-o'-the-wisps illumined. 
 Fires by ghosts of dead men kindled, i^*' 
 
 In their weary night-encampments. 
 
 All the air was white with moonlight. 
 All the water black with shadow, 
 And around him the Suggema, 
 The mosquito, sang his war-song, ^^^ 
 
 And the fire-flies, Wah-wah-taysee, 
 Waved their torches to mislead him; 
 And the bull-frog, the Dahinda, 
 Thrust his head into the moonlight, 
 Fixed his yellow eyes upon him, 120 
 
 Sobbed and sank beneath the surface; 
 And anon a thousand whistles, 
 .Answered over all the fen-lands, 
 And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 
 Far off on the reedy margin, 125 
 
Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather 61 
 
 Heralded the hero's comiug. 
 
 Westward thus fared Hiawatha, 
 T'oward the reahii of Megissogwoii, 
 Toward the land of the Pearl-Feather, 
 Till the level moon stared at him, ^^^- 
 
 In his face stared pale and haggard. 
 Till the sun was hot behind him, 
 Till it burned upon his shoulders, 
 And before him on the upland 
 He could see the Shining Wigwam ^^^ 
 
 Of the Manito of Wampum, 
 Of the mightiest of Magicians. 
 
 Then once more Cheemaun he patted, 
 To his birch-canoe said, ' ' Onward ! ' ' 
 And it stirred in all its fibres, ^^^ 
 
 And with one great bound of triumph 
 LeajDed across the water-lilies. 
 Leaped through tangled flags and rushes. 
 And upon the beach beyond them 
 Dry-shod landed Hiawatha. ^^^ 
 
 Straight he took his bow of ash-tree. 
 On the sand one end he rested. 
 With his knee he pressed the middle. 
 Stretched the faithful bow-string tighter, 
 Took an arrow, jasper-headed, i^^ 
 
 Shot it at the Shining Wigwam, 
 Sent it singing as a herald, 
 As a bearer of his message. 
 Of his challenge loud and lofty: 
 ^ * Come forth from your lodge, Pearl-Feather ! ^^^ 
 Hiawatha awaits your coming!" 
 
 Straightway from the Shining Wigwam 
 Came the mighty Megissogwon, 
 Tall of stature, broad of shoulder, 
 Dark and terrible in aspect, i^o 
 
 Clad from head to foot in wampum, 
 
62 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Aimed with all his warlike weapons, 
 Painted like the sky of morning, 
 Streaked with crimson, blue and yellow, 
 Crested with great eagle-feathers, i^s 
 
 Streaming upward, streaming outward. 
 
 *'Well I know you, Hiawatha!" 
 Cried he in a voice of thunder, 
 In a tone of loud derision. 
 
 *^ Hasten back, Shaugodaya! I'^o 
 
 Hasten back among the women. 
 Back to old Nokomis, Faint-heart! 
 I will slay you as you stand there, 
 As of old I slew her father!" 
 
 But my Hiawatha answered, i'^^ 
 
 Nothing daunted, fearing nothing: 
 *'Big words do not smite like war-clubs. 
 Boastful breath is not a bow-string. 
 Taunts are not so sharp as arrows, 
 Deeds are better things than words are, i^o 
 
 Actions mightier than boastings!" 
 
 Then began the greatest battle 
 That the sun had ever looked on. 
 That the war-birds ever witnessed. 
 All a Summer's day it lasted, • 1^5 
 
 From the sunrise to the sunset; 
 For the shafts of Hiawatha 
 Harmless hit the shirt of wampum. 
 Harmless fell the blows he dealt it 
 With his mittens, Minjekahwun, ^^^ 
 
 Harmless fell the heavy war-club; 
 It could dash the rocks asunder. 
 But it could not break the meshes 
 Of that magic shirt of wampum. 
 
 Till at sunset Hiawatha,^ i^^ 
 
 Leaning on his bow of ash-tree, 
 Wounded, weary, and desponding. 
 
Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather 63 
 
 With his mighty war-club broken, 
 
 With his mittens torn and tattered, 
 
 And three useless arrows only, 200 
 
 Paused to rest beneath a pine-tree, 
 
 From whose branches trailed the mosses, 
 
 And whose trunk was coated over 
 
 With the Dead-man's Moccasin-leather, 
 
 With the fungus white and yellow 205 
 
 Suddenly from the boughs above him 
 Sang the Mama, the woodpecker: 
 ^'Aim your arrows, Hiawatha, 
 At the head of Megissogwon, 
 Strike the tuft of hair upon it, 210 
 
 At their roots the long black tresses; 
 There alone can he be w^ounded!" 
 
 Winged with feathers, tipped with jasper. 
 Swift flew Hiawatha's arrow. 
 Just as Megissogwon, stooping, 215 
 
 Eaised a heavy stone to throw it. 
 Full upon the crown it struck him. 
 At the roots of his long tresses, 
 And he reeled and staggered fon\^ard. 
 Plunging like a wounded bison, 220 
 
 Yes, like Pezhekee, the bison, 
 When the snow is on the prairie. 
 
 Swifter flew the second arrow. 
 In the pathway of the other, 
 Piercing deeper than the other, 225 
 
 Wounded sorer than the other; 
 And the knees of Megissogwon 
 Shook like windy reeds beneath him, 
 Bent and trembled like the rushes. 
 
 But the third and latest arrow 230 
 
 Swiftest flew, and wounded sorest, 
 And the mighty Megissogwon 
 Saw the fier^^ eyes of Pauguk, 
 
64 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Saw the eyes of Death glare at him, 
 
 Heard his voice call in the darkness; 235 
 
 At the feet of Hiawatha 
 
 Lifeless lay the great Pearl-Feather, 
 
 Lay the mightiest of Magicians. 
 
 Then the grateful Hiawatha 
 Oalled tlie Mama, the woodpecker, 240 
 
 From his perch among the branches 
 Of the melancholy pine-tree, 
 And, in honor of his service, 
 Stained with blood the tuft of feathers 
 On the little head of Mama; 245 
 
 Even to this day he wears it. 
 Wears the tuft of crimson feathers 
 As a symbol of his service. 
 
 Then he stripped the shirt of wampum 
 From the back of Megissogwon, ^so 
 
 As a trophy of the battle, 
 As a signal of his conquest. 
 On tlie shore he left the body, 
 Half on land and half in water. 
 In the sand his feet were buried, ^^^ 
 
 And his face was in the water. 
 And above him, wheeled and clamored 
 The Keneu, the great war-eagle. 
 Sailing round in narrower circles. 
 Hovering nearer, nearer, nearer. ^60 
 
 From the wigwam Hiawatha 
 Bore the wealth of Megissogwon, 
 All his wealth of skins and wampum, 
 Ftirs of bison and of beaver, 
 Flirs of sable and of ermine, ^^^ 
 
 Wampum belts and strings and pouches. 
 Quivers wrought with beads of wampum. 
 Filled with arrows, silver-headed. 
 
 Homeward then he sailed exulting, 
 
Hiawatha and the Pearl-Feather 65 
 
 Homeward through the black pitch-water, ^To 
 Jlomeward through the weltering serpents, 
 With the trophies of the battle, 
 AVith a shout and song of triumph. 
 
 On the shore stood old Nokomis, 
 On the shore stood Chibiabos, 275 
 
 And the very strong man, Kwasind, 
 Waiting for the hero's coming, 
 Listening to his song of trumph. 
 And the people of the village 
 Welcomed him with songs and dances, 280 
 
 Made a joyous feast, and shouted: 
 *' Honor be to Hiawatha! 
 He has slain the great Pearl-Feather, 
 Slain the mightiest of Magicians, 
 Him who sent the fiery fever, 
 Sent the wliite fog from the fen-lands, 
 Sent disease and death among us!" 
 
 Ever dear to Hiawatha 
 Was the memory of Mama! 
 And in token of his friendship, 
 As a mark of his remembrance, 
 He adorned and decked his pipe-stem 
 With the crimson tuft of feathers. 
 With the blood-red crest of Mama. 
 But the wealth of Megissogwon, 295 
 
 All the trophies of the battle, 
 He divided with his people, 
 Shared it equally among them. 
 
 285 
 
 290 
 
6Q The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 X. 
 
 Hiawatha's wooing. 
 
 ^^As unto the bow the cord is, 
 
 So unto the man is woman, 
 
 Though she bends him, she obeys him, 
 
 Though she draws him, yet she follows. 
 
 Useless each without the other!" ^ 
 
 Thus the youthful Hiawatha 
 Said within himself and pondered, 
 Much perplexed by various feelings. 
 Listless, longing, hoping, fearing. 
 Dreaming still of Minnehaha, ^^ 
 
 Of the lovely Laughing Water, 
 In the land of the Dacotahs. 
 
 "Wed a maiden of your people," 
 Warning said the old Nokomis; 
 "Go not eastward, go not westward, ^^ 
 
 For a stranger, whom we know not! 
 Like a fire upon the hearth-stone 
 Is a neighbor's homely daughter. 
 Like the starlight or the moonlight 
 Is the handsomest of strangers!" 20 
 
 Thus dissuading spake Nokomis, 
 And my Hiawatha answered 
 Only this: "Dear old Nokomis, 
 Very pleasant is the firelight. 
 But I like the starlight better, 25 
 
 Better do I like the moonlight!" 
 
 Gravely then said old Nokomis: 
 "Bring not here an idle maiden, 
 Bring not here a useless woman, 
 Hands unskilful, feet unwilling; 
 Bring a wife with nimble fingers, 
 
 30 
 
Hiawatha's Wooing 67 
 
 Heart and hand that move together, 
 Feet that run on willing errands!'' 
 
 Smiling, answered Hiawatha : 
 ^^In the land of the Daeotahs 35 
 
 Lives tlie Arrow-mal^er's daughter, 
 MiDnehaha, Laughing Water, 
 Handsomest of all the w^omen. 
 I will bring her to your wigwam, 
 She shall run upon your errands, ^^ 
 
 Be your starlight, moonlight, firelight, 
 Be the sunlight of my people!" 
 
 Still dissuading said Nokomis: 
 ^' Bring not to my lodge a stranger 
 From the land of the Daeotahs! *5 
 
 Very fierce are the Daeotahs, 
 Often is there war between us. 
 There are feuds yet unforgotten. 
 Wounds that ache and still may open!" 
 
 Laughing answered Hiawatha: ^^ 
 
 '^For that reason, if no other. 
 Would I wed the fair Dacotah, 
 That our tribes might be united, 
 That old feuds might be forgotten, 
 And old wounds be healed forever!" 55 
 
 Thus departed Hiawatha 
 To the land of the Daeotahs, 
 To the land of handsome women; 
 Striding over moor and meadow. 
 Through interminable forests, 60 
 
 Through uninterrupted silence. 
 
 With his moccasins of magic. 
 At each stride a mile he measured; 
 Yet the way seemed long before him, 
 And his heart outrun his footsteps; ^5 
 
 And he journeyed without resting. 
 Till he heard the cataract's laughter. 
 
GS The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Heard the Falls of Minnehaha 
 
 Calling to him through the silence. 
 
 *' Pleasant is the sound!'' he murmured, '^^ 
 
 *' Pleasant is the voice that calls me!" 
 
 On the outskirts of the forest, 
 'Twixt the shadow and the sunshine, 
 Herds of fallow deer were feeding. 
 But they saw not Hiawatha; '^^ 
 
 To his bow he whisi3ered, ''Fail not!" 
 To his arrow whispered, "Swerve not!" 
 Sent it singing on its errand, 
 To the red heart of the roebuck; 
 Threw the deer across his shoulder, ^® 
 
 And si^ed forward without iDausing. 
 
 At the doorway of his wigwam 
 Sat the ancient Arrow-maker, 
 In the land of the Dacotahs, 
 
 Making arrow-heads of jasper, ^^ 
 
 Arrow-heads of chalcedony. 
 At his side, in all her beauty, 
 Sat the lovely Minnehaha, 
 Sat his daughter, Laughing Water, 
 Plaiting mats of flags and rushes; 9® 
 
 Of the past the old man's thoughts were. 
 And the maiden's of the future. 
 
 He was thinking, as he sat there. 
 Of the days when with such arrows 
 He had struck the deer and bison, ^^ 
 
 On the Muskoday, the meadow; 
 Shot the wild goose, flying southward. 
 On the wing, the clamorous Wawa ; 
 Thinking of the great war-parties, 
 How they came to buy his arrows, ^^^ 
 
 Could not fight without his arrows. 
 Ah, no more such noble warriors 
 Could be found on earth as they were! 
 
Hiawatha's Wooing 69 
 
 Now the men were all like women, 
 
 Only used their tongues for weapons! 105 
 
 She was thinking of a hunter, 
 From another tribe and country, 
 Young and tall and very handsome. 
 Who one morning, in the Spring-time', 
 Came to buy her father's arrows, no 
 
 Sat and rested in the wigwam. 
 Lingered long about the doorway, 
 Looking back as he departed. 
 She had heard her father praise him, 
 Praise his courage and his wisdom; i^^ 
 
 Would he come again for arrows 
 To the Falls of Minnehaha! 
 On the mat her hands lay idle. 
 And her eyes were yery dreamy. 
 
 Through their thoughts they heard a footstep, 120 
 Heard a rustling in the branches, 
 And with glowing cheek and forehead. 
 With the deer upon his shoulders, 
 Suddenly from out the woodlands 
 Hiawatha stood before them. 125 
 
 Straight the ancient Arrow-maker 
 Looked up grayely from his labor, 
 Laid aside the unfinished arrow. 
 Bade him enter at the doorway. 
 Saying, as he rose to meet him, i^^ 
 
 ^^ Hiawatha, yon are welcome !'' 
 
 At the feet of Laughing Water 
 Hiawatha laid his burden. 
 Threw the red deer from his shoulders; 
 And the maiden looked up at him, ^^^ 
 
 Looked up from her mat of rushes, 
 Said with gentle look and accent, 
 ^ ' You are welcome, Hiawatha ! ' ' 
 
 Very spacious was the wigwam, 
 
70 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Made of deer-skin dressed and whitened, ^^^ 
 
 With the Gods of the Dacotahs 
 
 Drawn and painted on its curtains, 
 
 And so tall the doorway, hardly 
 
 Hiawatha stooped to enter. 
 
 Hardly touched his eagle-feathers ^^^ 
 
 As he entered at the doorway. 
 
 Then up rose the Laughing Water, 
 Prom the ground fair Minnehaha, 
 Laid aside her mat unfinished. 
 Brought forth food and set before them, ^^^ 
 
 Water brought them from the brooklet, 
 Ga,ve them food in earthen vessels. 
 Gave them drink in bowls of bass-wood. 
 Listened while the guest was speaking, 
 Listened while her father answered, ^^^ 
 
 But not once her lips she opened. 
 Not a single word she uttered. 
 
 Yes, as in a dream she listened 
 To the words of Hiawatha, 
 As he talked of old Nokomis, ^^® 
 
 Wlio had nursed him in his childhood. 
 As he told of his companions, 
 Chibiabos, the musician, 
 And the very strong man, Kwasind, 
 And of happiness and plenty ^^^ 
 
 In the land of the Ojibways, 
 In the pleasant land and peaceful. 
 
 ^^ After many years of warfare, 
 Many years of strife and bloodshed. 
 There is peace between the Ojibways i'^^ 
 
 And the tribe of the Dacotahs." 
 Thus continued Hiawatha, 
 And then added, speaking slowly, 
 **That this peace may last forever. 
 And our hands be clasped more closely, ^'^^ 
 
Hiawatha's Wooing 71 
 
 And our heaiis be more united, 
 
 Give me as my wife this maiden, 
 
 Minnehaha, Laughing Water, 
 
 Loveliest of Dacotah women!" 
 
 And the ancient Arrow-maker i^o 
 
 Paused a moment ere he answered, 
 
 Smoked a little while in silence, 
 
 Looked at Hiawatha proudly, 
 
 Fondly looked at Laughing Water, 
 
 And made answer very gravely: '^^^ 
 
 *^Yes, if Minnehaha wishes; 
 
 Let your heart speak, Minnehaha!" 
 
 And the lovely Laughing Water 
 Seemed more lovely, as she stood there, 
 Neither willing nor reluctant, ^^^ 
 
 As she went to Hiawatha, 
 Softly took the seat beside him. 
 While she said, and blushed to say it, 
 *^I will follow you, my husband!" 
 
 This was Hiawatha's wooing! ^^^ 
 
 Thus it was he won the daughter 
 Of the ancient Arrow-maker, 
 In the land of the Dacotahs! 
 
 From the wigwam he departed, 
 Leading with him Laughing Water; 200 
 
 Hand in hand they went together, 
 Through the woodland and the meadow. 
 Left the old man standing lonely 
 At the doorway of his wigwam, 
 Heard the Falls of Minnehaha 205 
 
 Calling to them from the distance, 
 Crying to them from afar off, 
 *'Fare tiiee well, Minnehaha!" 
 
 And the ancient Arrow-maker 
 Turned again unto his labor, 210 
 
 Sat down by his sunny doorway, 
 
72 The Song of Hiawatha 
 
 Miiriimring to liimself, and saying: 
 
 *'Thns it is our daughters leave us, 
 
 Those we love, and those who love us! 
 
 Just when they have learned to lielp us, 215 
 
 When we are old and lean upon them, 
 
 Comes a youth with flaunting feathers, 
 
 With his flute of reeds, a stranger 
 
 Wanders piping through the village, 
 
 Beckons to the fairest maiden, ^^^ 
 
 And she follows where he leads her, 
 
 Leaving all things for the stranger!" 
 
 Pleasant was the journey homeward. 
 Through interminable forests, 
 Over meadow, over mountain, 225 
 
 Over river, hill, and hollow. 
 Short it seemed to Hiawatha, 
 Though they journeyed very slowly. 
 Though his pace he checked and slackened 
 To the steps of Laughing Water. 
 
 Over wide and rushing rivers 
 In his arms he bore the maiden; 
 Light he thought her as a feather. 
 As the plume upon his head-gear; 
 Cleared the tangled pathway for her, 235 
 
 Bent aside the swaying branches. 
 Made at night a lodge of branches, 
 And a bed with boughs of hemlock. 
 And a fire before the doorway 
 With the dry cones of the pine-tree. 240 
 
 All the travelling winds went with them, 
 O^er the meadow, through the forest: 
 All the stars of night looked at them, 
 Watched with sleepless eyes their slumber; 
 From his ambush in the oak-tree ^45 
 
 Peeped the squirrel, Adjidaumo, 
 Watched witU eager eyes the lovers; 
 
 230 
 
250 
 
 260 
 
 Hiawatha's Wooing 73 
 
 And the rabbit, the Wabasso, 
 Scampered from the path before them, 
 Peering", peeping from his burrow, 
 Sat erect upon his haunches. 
 Watched with curious eyes the lov6rs. 
 
 Pleasant was the journey homeward! 
 All the birds sang loud and sweetly 
 Songs of happiness and heart 's-ease; ^5 
 
 Sang the bluebird, the Owaissa, 
 '^ Happy are you, Hiawatha, 
 Having such a wife to love you!" 
 Sang the robin, the Opechee, 
 ''Happy are you. Laughing Water, 
 Having such a noble husband!" 
 
 From the sky the sun benignant 
 Looked upon them through the branches. 
 Saying to them, ''0' my children. 
 Love is sunshine, hate is shadow. 
 Life is checkered shade and sunshine. 
 Rule by love, Hiawatha!" 
 
 From the sky the moon looked at them, 
 Filled the lodge with mystic splendors. 
 Whispered to them, ''0 my children, ^'^^ 
 
 Day is restless, night is quiet, 
 Man imperious, woman feeble; 
 Half is mine, although I follow; 
 Rule by patience. Laughing Water!" 
 
 Thus it was they journeyed homeward; ^75 
 
 Thus it was that Hiawatha 
 To the lodge of old Nokomis 
 Brought the moonlight, starlight, firelight. 
 Brought the sunshine of his people, 
 Minnehaha, Laughing Water, ^^^ 
 
 Handsomest of all the women 
 In the land of the Dacotahs, 
 Tn tlie land of handsome women. 
 
 265 
 
HIAWATHA. 
 
 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 Hiawatha was first published in 1855, and during the half century 
 of its existence it has steadily gained in popular favor. It is now 
 recognized as one of Longfellow's greatest poems and as a treasury of 
 Indian legends nowhere else told in such beautiful and harmonious 
 language. The following introduction to the first edition by the 
 author explains how the legends found in the poem were obtained. 
 
 "This Indian Edda — if I may so call it — is founded on a tradition 
 prevalent among the North American Indians of a personage of mirac- 
 ulous birth, who was sent among them to clear their rivers, forests 
 and fishing-grounds, and to teach them the arts of peace. He was 
 known among different tribes by the several names of Michabou, 
 Chiado, Manabozho, Tarenyawagon and Hiawatha. Mr. Schoolcraft 
 gives an account of him in his Algic Researches, and in his History, 
 Conditions and Prospiccts of the Indian Tribes of the United States 
 may be found the Iroquois form of the tradition, derived from the 
 narrations of an Onondaga chief. Into this old tradition I have woven 
 other curious Indian legends, drawn chiefly from the various and valu- 
 able writings of Mr. Schoolcraft, to whom the literary world is greatly 
 indebted for his indefatigable zeal in rescuing from oblivion so much 
 of the legendary lore of the Indians. The scene of the poem is among 
 the Ojibways, on the southern shore of Lake Superior, in the region 
 between the Pictured Rocks and Grand Sable." 
 
 As shown by the preceding paragraph, Mr. Schoolcraft supposed 
 Manabozho and Hiawatha to be the same personage. More recent in- 
 vestigation has proved this to be untrue. Manabozho, Chiado and 
 Michabou are but different names for a certain Algonquin mj^tho- 
 logical character. This Manabozho, the great spirit-man of the Ojib- 
 ways, was a monstrosity. In him were combined all that was brave, 
 war-like, strong, wise and great in the conception of the Indians. He 
 conquered the greatest magicians, overcame fiery serpents, engaged in 
 fierce combats and performed extravagant exploits. However, in con- 
 trast to these mighty deeds he went about playing low tricks, doing 
 much mischief, and was often in great want. In cunning and energy 
 he was superior to anyone who had ever lived before ; yet he was simple 
 when circumstances required it and was ever the object of the tricks 
 and ridicule of others. Hiawatha, however, is a historic personage 
 
 74 
 
HIAWATHA 75 
 
 who was probably living when Columbus made his first voyage across 
 the Atlantic. He was the wise Indian law-maker who founded the 
 Confederacy of the Five Nations. The Iroquois considered him the 
 greatest chief that ever lived. His name, translated, is the very 
 
 WISE MAN. 
 
 Schoolcraft's works have long been out of print, and copies are now 
 rare. Fortunately the author of these Notes was enabled to obtain the 
 use of a set of his works while preparing the manuscript, and the in- 
 formation appended was gleaned largely from them. Most of the 
 space is devoted to explanation of the facts and traditions upon which 
 the legends of the poem are founded. The Glossary contains the pro- 
 nounciation and translation of the Indian names. 
 
 NOTES. 
 
 1. Should you asTc me, etc. — The sources from which the legendc of the poem 
 were obtained are given in the Introduction. 
 
 8. Beverherations. — Repeated echoes. 
 
 13. From the land of the Ojibways. — The Ojibways, when first known to 
 
 white men, inhabited the regions south of Lake Superior. The legends 
 of the poem come for the most part from the mythology of the Ojib- 
 ways and the Dacotahs. 
 
 14. Dacotahs. — A name generally applied to the tribes of the Northwest 
 
 that formerly inhabited the territory between the Rocky Mountains 
 and the Mississippi River, as far south as the River Platte. Mr. Long- 
 fellow, when using the term Dacotahs in this poem, means the Sioux, 
 a Dacotah tribe that lived around the headwaters of the Mississippi. 
 
 15. Fen-lands. — These were loAvlands wholly or partially overflowed, but pro- 
 
 ducing shrubs and coarse grass. 
 
 16. Heron. — The great blue heron is one of the largest wading birds in the 
 
 northern regions of the United States. 
 19. Nawadaha. — The Indian who first told ]\Ir. Schoolcraft about Hiawatha. 
 Mr. Schoolcraft wrote the legend, and Mr. Longfellow obtained it 
 from his books. 
 
 26. Beaver. — A fur-bearing animal that was' once abundant in the United 
 
 States but which has gradually disappeared before the advance of 
 civilization. Its favorite haunts are rivers and lakes that are bordered 
 by forests. Beavers pass the winter in houses or lodges which are two 
 to three feet high, are built on the edge of the water, and afford them 
 protection from wolves and other wild beasts. 
 
 27. Bison. — The North American buffalo. 
 
 28. Eyry. — The nest of a bird that builds in a lofty place. 
 
 32. Flover. — One of a species of game birds that inhabit the shores of 
 
 streams and lakes. 
 
 33. Loon. — A large northern aquatic bivd. 
 
 35. Grouse. — A game bird commonly known as the prairie-hen. 
 41. Vale of Taivasentha. — This is a valley in Albany County^ New York, and 
 is now known as Norman's Kill. 
 
76 HIAWATHA 
 
 44. Dwelt the singer. — The Indians had a great number of legends, stories 
 and historical tales that formed a vast fund for winter amusement 
 and instruction. Each Indian Village had its singer, or story-teller, 
 who kept alive the legends and traditions of the tribe. A story-teller 
 has been known to begin to narrate stories and lengends in the month 
 of October, and not to end until late in the spring, and on every even- 
 ing of this long term to tell a new story. 
 
 73. Palisade. — A fence formed of strong stakes set firmly in the ground. 
 
 74. And the thunder, etc. — In this metaphor is embodied a belief of the 
 
 Ojibways, who thought that thunder was a very large bird, and that 
 the rumbling noise was caused by an immense number of young birds. 
 The old bird was wise and good; it was the young birds or thunders 
 that did the mischief, like mischievous young men who will not listen 
 to counsel. Since mankind have become so numerous these birds are 
 seldom seen, but they are often heard in the skies where they fly higher 
 than they formerly did. Once they lived on human flesh, but now they 
 subsist on the wild game of the forest. They wink and lightning flashes 
 from their eyes. Their nests are built on the Eocky Mountains in 
 the far West. 
 91. Every human heart is human. — This and the following lines pay a de- 
 served tribute to Indian character. Before he learned the vices of the 
 white man the American Indian was a moral and a religious man, 
 believing in a creator and a future life, and was guided in his acts by 
 a conscientious desire to meet the approval and escape the condemna- 
 tion of his maker. He was a hospitable and affectionate friend, and a 
 cruel and revengeful enemy. 
 
 The Indians existed so completely in the hunter state that they had 
 no relish for any labor; and though they were dextrous and cunning 
 woodsmen, excelling in all the arts of forestry, they looked with deepest 
 contempt upon husbandry or any of the mechanic arts. Yet some 
 knowledge of those arts was a necessity; and the Indians had sufficient 
 skill to construct their canoes, weave bags and nets of bark, and make 
 simple mats to cover their lodges. They also made rude pottery from 
 a mixture of clay that would withstand the effects of sudden heating 
 and cooling. Some tribes had a good knowledge of numbers; and they 
 found a substitute for letters in a system of picture writing, in which 
 the same picture or symbol always meant the same thing, and nearly 
 all the warriors could read these symbols. 
 
 The Indian was intensely religious and not only believed in the Great 
 Spirit but also in thousands of minor gods or spirits. The skies were 
 filled wdth deities he worshiped, and the whole forest awakened with 
 their whispers. The lakes and streams were the places of their resi- 
 dence, and the mountains and valleys also were their abode. All the 
 remarkable spots in the country were their favorite resorts. The earth 
 swarmed with all sorts of spirits, good and bad. Those of the forest 
 clothed themselves in moss. During a shower of rain, thousands of 
 them were sheltered in a flower. The Indian, as he reclined beneath 
 the shade of his forest trees, imagined these gods to be about him; he 
 detected their tiny voices in the insect 's hum, and with half closed eyes 
 he beheld them sporting by thousands on a sunbeam. In the evening 
 they were seen and heard on every side. 
 
 In council and public intercourse he was inclined to be formal and 
 stately in demeanor, and cunning rather than wise. In general, he was 
 governed more by impulse than by reason. While capable of great 
 exertion on the instant, he couhl not endure the tension of long con- 
 tinued effort, either mental or physical; and in this respect he was no 
 match for the white man. 
 
HIAWATHA 77 
 
 I. 
 
 TEE PEACE-PIPE. 
 
 2. The Pipe-stone Quarry. — This quarry is located near the city of Pipe- 
 
 stone in the southwestern part of Minnesota, near the Dakota boun- 
 dary. It lies in a broad valley, with gentle slopes that terminate in 
 long low ridges which form the Mountains of the Prairie. These swells 
 occur at intervals of from two to three miles, and sometimes attain an 
 altitude of over a hundred feet above the surrounding country. In 
 form and relative position they closely resemble the huge waves of the 
 ocean, but they are much larger. 
 5. On the red crags of the quarry. — The site is partially surrounded by a 
 cliff of jasper, which extends for two miles north and south, forming 
 the arc of a circle and rising in some places perpendicularly to a height 
 of twenty-five or thirty feet. In places the jasper is of a deep blood- 
 red and forms a beautiful background for the valley below. A small 
 stream that is formed by several springs on top plunges over the cliff 
 at about its center, forming a beautiful cascade. 
 
 Near the banks of this creek the pipestone is buried from four to five 
 feet deep. It is a soft clay rock of very fine texture. In color it 
 varies from a deep red to a light pinkish gray. Some specimens are 
 mottled by a mingling of the two colors, but only the red stone is 
 considered suitable for pipes. This stone is the most valuable legendary 
 treasure of the North American Indians, and for centuries Pipestone 
 Valley was neutral ground, where all tribes could gather without fear 
 of war or discord to procure the precious stone for the calumet; and 
 many interesting legends are woven around the place. The only other 
 locality from which pipestone is obtained is a quarry at Sioux Falls, 
 South Dakota. 
 
 3. Gitche Manito. — The Great Spirit, the Indian Creator. 
 
 23. Filled the pipe with tarfc of willow. — The Indians of the Northwest did 
 not know of tobacco until the white traders brought it to them; but 
 there are many weeds, leaves and barks of trees which are narcotics 
 that grew in their country, and which they dried, pulverized and 
 smoked. Knick-Jcnick, or the bark of the red willow, was used the most. 
 
 25. Breathed upon the neighboring forest, etc. — Here the poet attributes to 
 the Great Spirit an act which was customary with the Indians on a 
 small scale, that of kindling a fire by rubbing two pieces of dry wood 
 together. 
 
 32. 'And the smolce rose slowly, etc. — The chief means of communication be- 
 tween two parties of Indians some distance apart was by signal fires. 
 
 42. From the Vale of Tawasentlia, etc. — This and the following lines name 
 localities representing the entire country. The council included all 
 the tribes of the land. Pipes made from pipestone have been found 
 in Indian graves as far east as Oswego, N. Y. 
 
 50. Prophets of the Nations. — These were usually the leading religious teach- 
 ers, and were supposed to be able to read the messages of the Great 
 Spirit and the other gods, by observing the phenomena of nature and 
 the acts of animals, and through dreams. Occasionally a prophet led 
 his tribe in war. Pontiac and Tecumseh w^ere called prophets. 
 
 72. Painted like the leaves of Autnmn. — The Indians used red as a symbol 
 of bravery and of war, and when on the war path they decorated their 
 weapons and even their bodies and faces with bright red paint. 
 
78 
 
 HIAWATHA 
 
 78. Tlie ancestral thirst for vengeance. — "When they were first known to 
 white men a number of Indian tribes were constantly at war with each 
 other, because of ancient feuds that extended back for so many genera- 
 tions that the oldest men could not relate the story of their beginning. 
 The feud between the Algonquins and the Iroquois was of this nature. 
 85. Feuds. — Lines 86 and 87 are definitions of this word. 
 
 102. Boe. — A female deer. 
 
 Reindeer. — The North American reindeer, or caribou, were formerly 
 found in great herds in Canada. The reindeer is more heavily built 
 than other species of deer. 
 
 103. Brant. — A species of wild goose. 
 
 116. I will send a Prophet to you. — Hiawatha, the hero of the poem. The 
 poet gives to this hero the name and character of the chief who founded 
 the Confederacy of the Five Nations, and the good attributes of the 
 Ojibway demi-god, Manabozho. The birth of the hero and most of 
 his marvelous powers and deeds are ascribed by tradition to Mana- 
 bozho, but his wisdom and high moral character are those of the 
 Iroquois Hiawatha. 
 
 S=3K 
 
 ^^^^^ 
 
 " ^ <=• " '" ^ 
 
 Pipes, 
 
 129. Mould and rruike it into Peace-pipes. — The Indians took great pains in 
 making their pipes. The bowls of many of them were designed and 
 carved with taste and skill. The stems, which were from two to four 
 feet in length and from one to two inches in width, were sometimes 
 round, but usually flat, and were generally made from the stalk of 
 the young ash. The stems were often ingeniously carved, and were 
 decorated with braids of dyed porcupine quills and with bright feath- 
 ers. The beak and tuft of the red-headed woodpecker were also fre- 
 quently used. 
 
 /y 
 
 tn^ 
 
 Calamet. 
 
 The Calumet, or Peace-Pipe, was a sacred pipe and was ornamented 
 with the war-eagle's quills. It was used only when making peace. On 
 such an occasion the representatives of the contending parties sat in 
 a circle, the calumet was passed from one to another, and each smoked 
 one puff. This was an inviolable pledge to adhere to the terms agreed 
 upon by both parties, and was, in fact, equivalent to the signing of a 
 
HIAWATHA 79 
 
 treaty of peace among civilized nations. The calumet was also carried 
 as an emblem of peace when passing through the territory belonging 
 to strange tribes. Those carrying it were seldom molested. 
 
 II. 
 
 THE FOUE WINDS. 
 
 4. Belt of Wampum. — Wampum is the name of beads manufactured by the 
 Indians from vari-colored shells, which they filed and cut into bits 
 from one-half to one and one-half inches in length and perforated 
 with stone awls, giving them the shape of pieces of broken pipe stem. 
 These they strung on deer sinews and wore on their necks in profusion; 
 or they wove them ingeniously into war belts. The tribes of the 
 Atlantic coast made their beads much smaller than did the tribes of 
 the interior, and among them wampum circulated as money. The belt 
 was passed in treaty, as a pledge of friendship, and sent to hostile 
 tribes as a message of peace. The Indians believed their gods to be 
 the possessors of numerous belts of wampum, and in this sense only 
 was it considered sacred. 
 
 6. Wahasso. — Wabasso was a son of Mudjekeewis. As soon as he was born 
 he fled to the North, where he was changed to a white rabbit, and, as 
 such, was considered a sacred spirit. 
 
 25. Mwffle. — A cloth or fur wrap for the neck and nose. 
 
 43. " HarTc you, Bear! you are a coward.'* — The Mohicans and Dela wares 
 
 were accustomed to address in a similar manner any animal that they 
 attacked. 
 
 44. Brave. — A strong-hearted warrior. See note on line 237, Hiawatha's 
 
 Childhood. 
 
 War Clubi. 
 
 58. War-chih. — The war-club was a shaft of heavy wood with a ball carved 
 at one side of the head. In this ball were sometimes fastened jagged 
 pieces of rock. The Indians, in telling this story, say that Mudjekeewis 
 could shatter a tree with one blow of his club, as does the lightning 
 when striking it. 
 
 61. BroTce his sl-ull, as ice is hrolen. — The Indians fished as much in winter 
 as in summer. They would break holes in the ice, and in shallow 
 water spear the fish, or in deep water catch them with hook and line. 
 
 105. Gathering water-flags and rushes. — The Indian women wove mats and 
 baskets out of flags and rushes. 
 
80 HIAWATHA 
 
 123. Till into a star he cJianged her. — The stars and sky were carefully 
 observed by the red men. Thunder and lightning, the aurora borealis, 
 the rainbow, the milky way, the morning and evening stars, and the 
 more prominent groups of fixed and minor stars were specifically named 
 by the Indians who, like the ancient Greeks, had a story or myth that 
 explained the existence of each. 
 
 141. Cormorant. — One of a family of aquatic birds, whose general color is 
 a glossy greenish black, and Avhich are found in the United States along 
 the coast and around the large lakes of the interior. 
 
 141. Curlew. — A wading bird, which is found in all temperate parts of North 
 
 America. It has a long, slender, curved bill, long legs, and a short 
 tail, and frequents the seashore and open moorlands. 
 
 142. Sedge. — A plant growing in tufts in marshy regions. 
 Sea-tang. — A kind of seaweed. 
 
 153. Shingehis, the diver. — The grebe, commonly known as the hell-diver. 
 
 155. Fens. — Lowlands covered with water, but producing aquatic plants. 
 
 Moorlands. — Cheerless tracts of land, overgrown with shrubs and some- 
 times marshy. 
 
 244. Moon of Snow-shoes. — November. 
 
 298. Shan-ondasee. — The Indians in telling the story of Shawondasee to their 
 children draw from it the following moral: '*My children, it is not 
 wise to differ in our tastes from other people; nor ought' we to put 
 off, through slothfulness, what is best done at once. Had Shawon- 
 dasee conformed to the tastes of his countrymen, he would not have 
 been an admirer of yellow hair; and had he shown a proper activity 
 in his youth, his mind would not have run to flower gathering in his 
 
 age. ' ' 
 
 ra. 
 
 HIAWATHA'S CHILDHOOD. 
 
 17. ''Sec! a star falls!'' — The Indians when they saw a star fall thought 
 that it was a spirit descending from the upper regions to earth. 
 
 66. Wigivam. — The wigwam, or lodge was of two kinds. In making one kind, 
 slender poles were placed in the ground in a circle, the tops were bent 
 over and tied together, and this frame was covered with long rolls of 
 white birch bark, with mats woven of reeds and rushes, or with the 
 skins of large animals. This lodge looked much like a large hemisphere. 
 In making the other kind of wigwam, the poles were not bent over, 
 but were left straight and tied at the top. This lodge resembled a 
 large cone, and is known as the tepee. 
 
 76. "Roclied in his linden cradle. — The cradle is an object of great pride to 
 the Indian mother, and she sj^ares no pains or expense in decorating it. 
 It consists of a piece of flat wood which supports the back, a foot- 
 rest, and a small hoop to protect the head. The entire structure is 
 very light and is carved with a knife by the men from linden or maple 
 Avood. 
 
 The papoose, "bedded soft in moss and rushes," is placed in the 
 cradle, and a bandage is bound around baby, cradle, and all, giving 
 the little one the appearance of a small mummy. A carrying strap is 
 fastened to the cradle near the head of the infant, by which the mother 
 
HIAWATHA 
 
 81 
 
 80. 
 
 82. 
 
 86. 
 
 90. 
 
 94. 
 
 145. 
 
 159. 
 
 can swing it to her back or hang it in an upright position in the lodge 
 or on the limb of a tree. After hanging up the cradle, the mother 
 gives it a gentle push, causing it to swing back and forth like a 
 pendulum. It is from this motion that the leading idea of the Indian 
 cradle songs is taken. 
 
 Cradle. 
 
 ^'Hush! the Naked Bear will get thee!" — Mishe-Mokwa, the "Great 
 Bear of the Mountains, ' ' slain by Mudjekeewis. This was a common 
 expression used by Indian mothers to frighten their children into good 
 behavior. 
 
 " Ewa-yea, my little owlet." — This lullaby and "the song of children," 
 a few lines farther on, are translations of two Ojibway songs. 
 
 Many things NoJconiis taught him, etc. — See note on line 123, The Four 
 Winds. 
 
 IshTcoodah, the comet. — Some tribes thought that the appearance of a 
 comet was an omen of pestilence. 
 
 Death-Dance of the spirits. — The aurora borealis. The Winnebagos be- 
 lieved that the aurora borealis was produced by a bad spirit, and that 
 it foretold death. 
 
 Showed the troad white road, etc. — The milky way, that broad, luminous 
 path extending across the heavens nearly from north to south. It is 
 composed of innumerable stars, so distant and so blended together 
 that they cannot be distinguished without a telescope. 
 
 Learned of every hird its language. — The Indians believed that all 
 animals had souls, and that they had reasoning powers and could talk. 
 When animals died their spirits went to the Happy Hunting Grounds, 
 where they were again encountered by the spirits of the Indian dead. 
 
 lagoo. — The personage in Indian mythology noted for telling extrava- 
 gant stories of whatever he saw, heard or accomplished. Whenever a 
 brave boasted of his deeds more than they would warrant, the Indians 
 said that he talked like lagoo. 
 
 Bow and Arrows. 
 
82 HIAWATHA 
 
 163. Made a how for Hmwatlia. — The Indian bow varied from thirty to 
 forty-four inches in length, the average bow being about thirty-six 
 inches long. It was made of ash, ironwood, red cedar or hickory, and 
 was lined on the back with deer's sinews, which were inseparably 
 attached to it and gave it great elasticity. Indians have been known 
 to use the bow with such force and skill as to drive an arrow through 
 the body of a buffalo. 
 
 171. Kill for US a famous roehuc'k. — There were three ways of hunting deer. 
 A snare was sometimes used, and was so placed that the deer's neck 
 was caught in such a manner that the harder he tried to get loose the 
 tighter he was caught. Another way was by driving spikes of wood 
 into the ground on the deer-path, just the other side of a log over 
 which the deer would be expected to jump. In jumping the log, the 
 deer must fall upon these sharp spikes, which would pierce him through 
 and kill him. The third manner of killing deer was with the bow and 
 arrow. The hunter watched at the * * salt licks " or at the borders of 
 lakes or rivers where the deer went to feed on the grass. An Indian 
 could kill a deer in the woods at a distance of fifty paces. 
 
 171. Boehucl'. — A deer with antlers. 
 
 234. Called him Strong-Heart. — The Indian noun, soan-ge-taha, has been 
 translated in English as brave, meaning a warrior; but the real mean- 
 ing is strong-heart, as given here. Thus, if we translated the word 
 literally, instead of saying that Black Hawk and his braves attacked 
 a village, we would say that Black Hawk and his strong-hearts at- 
 tacked a village. 
 
 IV. 
 
 HIAWATHA AND MUDJEKEEWIS. 
 
 1. Out of childhood, etc. — The education of an Indian boy began as soon 
 as he was able to walk and run about. A tiny bow was given him, 
 and when he acquired strength he was encouraged to use it in hunting 
 small birds and squirrels. His first success, whether gained with the 
 bow or with the snare, was extravagantly praised, and the animal killed, 
 no matter how small, was prepared by the child's mother and sisters for 
 a feast, to which the chiefs and warriors of the village were ceremoni- 
 ously invited. 
 
 The Indian boy was carefully taught the arts of hunting and war, 
 the principles of each being enforced and constantly applied by daily 
 example and precept. Even their games — such as sham battles, games 
 of ball and contests in running and jumping — were of such nature that 
 they would help the boys to acquire skill in Avar or the chase. The 
 principles of these two callings were as carefully taught and impressed 
 upon the Indian youth as are the elements of reading, writing and 
 arithmetic upon the American boys of today. 
 
 21. Moccasins. — The Indian's shoes were made of buckskin. The skin was 
 steeped in water, dressed with deer 's brains, and smoked until soft, 
 smooth and pliant. It was tough and compact, and did not absorb 
 moisture. There were many styles of mocassins. The shoes of each 
 tribe differed in some respects from those of all others. The mocca- 
 sins of the Ojibway were gathered from the tip of the toe to the 
 ankle. It is from this that the tribe takes the name Ojibway, the 
 meaning of which is gathering. 
 
HIAWATHA 83 
 
 40. Deer-sJcin shirt. — This shirt was made of two skins so fastened together 
 as to be supported on the shoulders, allowing the head to pass through 
 an opening left for that purpose. The war shirt was profusely deeo- 
 ratecl with dyed porcupine quills, wampum, sweet grass and other orna- 
 ments. The favorite colors were bright red and blue. 
 
 Leggings. — These were made just the length of the leg, and were 
 fastened to a belt worn under tiie shirt. The outer seam of the legging 
 was frequently decorated with fringe. 
 
 42. On his head his eagle feathers. — The feathers of the eagle were the 
 
 most highly prized ornaments of the Indian's costume, and the mode 
 in which a feather was cut and worn was a matter of importance. 
 Feathers were awarded for deeds of valor; for example, a brave was 
 permitted to wear three eagle feathers for each enemy that he killed 
 or captured in battle. Thus the number of feathers in an Indian's 
 headdress would indicate his skill and bravery in war. 
 
 43. Bound his waist his hclt of wampum. — See note on line 4, The Four 
 
 Winds. 
 47. Jasper. — Jasper was frequently used in making arrow heads. It is an 
 opaque impure quartz of a variety of colors, and takes a high polish. 
 
 69. Antelope. — An animal which very much resembles the deer. Large herds 
 
 of them at one time roamed over the plains west of the Mississippi 
 Eiver, but they are now almost extinct. 
 
 70. Esconaha. — A river of Northern Michigan which flows into the Little 
 
 Bay de Noquet. 
 
 73. Land of Crows and Foxes. — The country that now comprises North and 
 
 South Dakota. 
 
 74. Dwellings of the BlacTcfeet. — The Blackfeet lived around the head waters 
 
 of the Missouri River. 
 
 106. Indomitable. — Not to be subdued. 
 
 107. Invulnerable. — Not to be wounded. 
 
 209. Flamingo. — A bird with a long neck and long legs that lives in the 
 tropics. Its general color is red, and it builds its nest of mud in wet 
 localities. 
 
 223. Slay all mo7isters and magicians. — The Indians believed in Gitche 
 Manito, the God of Good, who ruled the universe. Opposed to him was 
 a God of Evil. The heavens were the abode of the God of Good and the 
 earth was the dwelling place of the God of Evil. Each of these gods 
 was provided with a host of minor gods or spirits, who under the 
 shape of birds, beasts, reptiles, men, demons, dwarfs, sorcerers, fairies, 
 pygmies, and other forms inhabited the world. Of all the evil spirits, 
 the Wendigoes, or giants, were the most dreaded. 
 
 229. Paugul\ — Pauguk is the personification of death. The Indians con- 
 ceived him as existing without flesh or blood. His bones were covered 
 with a thin transparent skin, and his eye sockets were filled with balls 
 of fire. He was a hunter, but he hunted only men, women and children. 
 To see him was a sure indication of death. 
 
 257. Falls of Mijinehaha. — These falls are on Minnehaha Creek but a few 
 miles southeast of Minneapolis. They are sixty feet high and are noted 
 for their remarkable beauty. 
 
 260. There the Ancient Arroiv-maTcer. — Arrow-making was the most skillful 
 mechanical work done by the Indians. The arrow-maker first produced 
 the stone in fairly good sized pieces, which he broke into smaller frag- 
 ments by placing them on his hip with some hard substance underneath 
 and striking them a blow with a hammer. When the blow was given 
 there was then a sufficient yield in the stone to keep it from being 
 shivered into bits, and the arrow-maker could thus break the lump into 
 
84 . HIAWATHA 
 
 any sized pieces he desired. Great skill and patience were required in 
 chipping the edges of the arrow heads. Indeed, such was the skill 
 required, both in selecting and fracturing the stone, that arrow-making 
 was the employment of particular men, generally old men who had laid 
 aside hunting to make arrow and spear heads. The arrow heads were 
 mostly made of quartz and flint, though hard sandstone, jasper, and 
 chalcedony . were occasionally used. The arrow heads were fastened 
 to the shaft by inserting the butt of the head in the split end of the 
 shaft, and tying round it a string of deer sinews. 
 
 Arrow Heads. 
 262. Chalcedony. — A translucent variety of quartz. 
 
 V. 
 
 HIAWATHA'S FASTING. 
 
 Fasts. — One of the most universal and deep seated of Indian customs was 
 that of fasting. No young man was fitted to begin the career of life 
 until he had accomplished his great fast. Seven days appear to have 
 been the maximum limit of endurance, and the success of the young 
 devotee was inferred from the length of time he was able to abstain 
 from food. These fasts were anticipated by the Indian youth as one 
 of the most important events of his life, prepared for with solemnity 
 and endured with a self-devotion bordering on the heroic. During the 
 fast the boy lived alone in a secluded lodge built for the purpose and 
 passed the time in meditation and in prayer to the Great Spirit. He 
 was supposed to see in visions the guardian spirit that was to watch 
 over him for the rest of his life. 
 
 33. Saiv the wild rice. — Wild rice was one of the staple foods of the Indian. 
 
 167. Quiclen. — Revive. 
 
 286. Feast of Mondamin. — Mr. Longfellow gives this feast as occurring after 
 the kernels of corn had turned to grain. It occurred, however, when 
 the corn was ripe for being cooked on the car. The Feast of Monda- 
 min (the Spirit's grain) was an offering of the first product of the 
 • cornfield to the power that caused its growth. The ceremonies began 
 with the gathering of the corn from the field. It was then carried to 
 the lodge, boiled in water, and served on the ear to the invited guests, 
 after being offered to the Great Spirit in thankfulness. Each guest 
 brought his own dish and retired backward through the door, whence 
 he proceeded to his own lodge, Avhere the corn was eaten. 
 
 VI. 
 
 HIAWATHA'S FRIENDS. 
 
 32. Flutes so musical and mellow. — The Indian flute consisted of two pieces 
 of cedar, hollowed out and glued together so as to form a tube. The 
 instrument had a mouthpiece at one end and from six to eight key 
 holes. 
 
HIAWATHA. 85 
 
 63. Islands of the Blessed. — The Indians had many conceptions of the place 
 where their spirits of the dead dwelt. One of these was, that when 
 an Indian died his spirit was taken across a body of water in a canoe 
 to some beautiful islands. Here it w^as always summer; the birds 
 were ever singing; game was in abundance; and every one was happy. 
 Only the spirits of those who had lived good lives ever reached these 
 islands. When a canoe carried the spirit of a bad Indian it sank near 
 the shore of one of these islands, and left him standing in water up to 
 his neck, doomed to gaze forever at the happy life that is denied to 
 him. 
 
 85. Much besought his Guardian Spirit. — Every Indian believed that he had 
 a guardian spirit which was chosen by him during his youthful fast. 
 This spirit accompanied him everywhere and in its power and good 
 influence he placed his trust under every circumstance. It formed the 
 theme of his silent meditations; but, however deeply mused upon, the 
 name of this spirit was never uttered, and every circumstance con- 
 nected with the devotion paid it was studiously and professedly con- 
 cealed. 
 
 94. With my nets you never help me. — The Indian women made their nets 
 from ropes made from the barks of the cedar and the basswood and 
 from the sinews of animals. 
 
 140. Quoit. — Any heavy, flat missile used to be pitched in play at an object. 
 
 148. Pauwating. — The body of water connecting Lake Superior with Lake 
 Huron, now known as the Saint Mary's Eiver. 
 
 174. Long they lived in peace together. — In other parts of this poem, Mr. 
 Longfellow tells how the evil spirits grew jealous of Chibiabos and 
 killed him; how he was made ruler of the land of spirits; and how, 
 later, Kwasind was slain by the envious fairies and pygmies. 
 
 VII. 
 
 HIAWATHA'S SAILING. 
 
 17. Taquamenaw. — A river in Northern Michigan. 
 
 19. Moon of Leaves. — May. 
 
 69. Balm. — Balm, or balsam, is a resin that has a pleasant odor. 
 
 75. Fissure. — A narrow opening made by the parting of any substance. 
 
 82. Hedgehog. — The Canadian porcupine. 
 
 Canoe. 
 
 96. Thus the Birch Canoe was huilded, etc. — The birch canoe is the lightest 
 and most graceful in form of all water craft. The canoes vary in 
 length from the small Chippewa hunting canoe here described, which 
 was about twelve feet long, to the large war canoes, which were thirty-six 
 feet long and held fourteen men. 
 
86 HIAWATHA 
 
 VIII. 
 
 HIAWATHA'S FISHING. 
 
 85. Bream. — Another name for the sun-fish. 
 
 101. Befiilgent. — Kadiant; splendid. 
 
 179. Eift. — An opening made by rending or splitting. 
 
 217. Sated. — Having a satisfied appetite. 
 
 IX. 
 
 HIAWATHA AND THE PEARL FEATHEB. 
 
 22. Wampum. — See note on line 4, The Four Winds. 
 
 37. Pestilential. — Bearing disease. 
 
 38. Exhalations. — Breaths. 
 
 67. Hurtled.^— Circled rapidly. 
 
 92. Weltering. — ^Rolling, 
 
 292. He adorned and decked his pipe-stem, etc. — The tuft of feathers of the 
 red-headed woodpecker was emblematic of valor, and was used to orna- 
 ment the stems of the Indian pipes. 
 
 GLOSSARY. 
 
 Adjidau'mo (ad-ji-daw'mo), Tail-in-Air, the red squirrel. 
 
 AhmeeV, the King of Beavers. 
 
 Algonquin (al-gon'kin), Ojibway. 
 
 Apul'wa (ah-puck'wah), the bulrush. 
 
 Baimwawa (baim-wah'wah), sound of thunder. 
 
 Bemahgut (be-ma\v'goot), the grape-vine. 
 
 Bena (bee'nah), the pheasant. 
 
 Big Sea Water, Lake Superior. 
 
 Camanches (kah-man'ehez), an Indian tribe. 
 
 Chemaun', a birch canoe. 
 
 ChetowaiTc (chet-to-wake'), the plover. 
 
 Chihiahos (ki-bi-ah'bose), a musician; friend of Hiawatha; Euler in the Land 
 
 of Spirits. 
 Dacotah (dah-ko'tah), a name including many tribes of the Northwest; in 
 
 this poem, however, it is used to designate the modern Sioux (Soo) only. 
 
 Dahinda (dah-hin'dah), the bullfrog. 
 
 Esa (ee'sah), shame upon you. 
 
 Esconala (es-co-nah'bah), a river in Northern Michigan. 
 
 Ewa-yea (ee'waw-ye'ay), lullaby. 
 
 Gheezis (ge'ziz), the sun. 
 
 Gitche Gumee (git'che goo'me), the Big Sea Water; Lake Superior. 
 
 Hiawatha (he-ah-waw'tha), the Wise Man; the Teacher; son of Mudjekeewis, 
 the West-Wind, and Wenonah, daughter of Nokomis. 
 
 Eurons (Hew'rons), a tribe of Indians. 
 
HIAWATHA 87 
 
 lagoo (ee-a-w'goo), a great boaster and story-teller. 
 
 Ish-loo-daJi', fire; a comet. 
 
 Kdbeyun (kay'hee-yun), the West- Wind. 
 
 Kahibonolka (kah-bib-boA^'-noke'kah), the North-Wind. 
 
 Kagli (kawgh), the hedgehog, or porcupine. 
 
 Kago (kaw'go), do not. 
 
 Kahgahgce (kah-gah-je'), the raven. 
 
 Kaiceen (kah-ween'), no indeed. 
 
 Eayoslik (kay-oshk'), the Noble Scrateher; the sea-gull. 
 
 Keewaydin (ke-way'din), the NortliT\est-Wind, the Home-Wind. 
 
 Kenaheek (ken-naw'beek), a serpent. 
 
 Kenue (ken-new'), the great war-eagle. 
 
 Eenozha (ken-no'zah), the pickerel. 
 
 Kwasind (kwaw'sind), the Strong Man. 
 
 Mahng, the loon. 
 
 Mahn-go-tay'see, loon-hearted, brave. 
 
 Mahnomonee (mah-no-rao'nee), wild rice. 
 
 Mama (may'mah), the woodpecker. 
 
 Mandans (man'danz), an Indian tribe. 
 
 Manito (man'y-to), a spirit, a demi-god. 
 
 MasTcenozha (mas-ken-no'zah), the pike. 
 
 Meenahga (mee-nah'gah), the blueberry. 
 
 Megissogwon (me-jis-sog'won), the great Pearl-Feather, a magician, and the 
 Manito of Wealth and Wampum. 
 
 MinjeJialncun (min-je-kaw'wun), Hiawatha's mittens. 
 
 Min7iehaha (min-ne-hah'hah). Laughing Water; a water-fall on a stream enter- 
 ing the Mississippi near Minneapolis. 
 
 Minnehaha, Laughing Water; daughter of the Ancient Arrow-maker. 
 
 Minnewatca (min-ne-waw'waw), the sound of wind in the pine trees, 
 
 Mishe-Molwa (mi'she-rao'kwaw), the Great Bear of the Mountains. 
 
 Mishe-Nahma (mi'she-nah'mah), the Great Sturgeon, the King of Fishes. 
 
 Mondamin (mon-daw'min), the Spirit's grain; Indian corn. 
 
 Moon of Leaves, May. 
 
 Moon of Snow-shoes, November. 
 
 Mudjelceewis (mud-je-ke'wis), the West-Wind, father of Hiawatha. 
 
 Mudway-aushka (mud-way-awsh'kah), the sound of waves on a shore. 
 
 Mushl'odasa (mush-ko-day'sah), the grouse. 
 
 Muskoday (Mus'ko-day), the meadow. 
 
 Nahma (nah'mah), the sturgeon. 
 
 Nawadaha (nah-wah-daw'hah), the singer. 
 
 NoJcomis (no-ko'mis), a grandmother; mother of Wenonah. 
 
 Odahmin (o-dah'min), the straAvberry. 
 
 Ojihways (o-jib'wayz), an Indian tribe that originally inhabited the territory 
 
 south of Lake Superior. 
 OTcahahwis (o-kah-hah'wis), the fresh-water herring. 
 Omeme (o-me'mah), the pigeon, 
 Opechce (o-pe'che), the robin. 
 
88 HIAWATHA 
 
 Owaissa (o-ways'sah), the bluebird. 
 
 PauguJc (paw'guek), death. 
 
 Paiiwating (paw-way 'ting), the body of water connecting Lake Superior with 
 
 Lake Huron, now known as the Saint Marys Eiver. 
 Fezlielcee (pez'he-ke), the bison. 
 Ponemah (poe-ne'mah), the land of the Hereafter. 
 Puggawaugun (pew-gah-waw'gun), a war club. 
 PuJiwana (puck-way'nah), the smoke of the Peaee-Pipe. 
 Sahwa (sah'wah), the perch. 
 Sehowisha (seb-bow-wish'ah), a brook. 
 Segwun (seeg-wun'), spring. 
 Shalihomin (shah-bo'min), the gooseberry. 
 Shah-Shah, long ago. 
 
 Shaugodaya (shaw-go-day'yah), a coward. 
 Shawgashee (shaw-gah-shee'), the craw-fish. 
 Shawondasee (shaw-won-day'see), the South-Wind. 
 Shaw-shaw, the swallow. 
 
 Shingehis (shin'gee-bis), the diver, or grebe. , 
 
 Shoshonies (show'show-nez), an Indian tribe. 
 Shuhshuhgah (shew-shew'gah), the blue heron. 
 Soangetaha (sone-gah-tah'hah), strong-hearted; a brave warrior. 
 Suggema (soo-je'mah), the mosquito. 
 
 Taquamenaw (tah-kwa-me'naw), a river in Northeastern Michigan, now known 
 as the Taquamenon. 
 
 Tawasentha (tah-wah-sen'tha). Vale of, a valley in Albany County, New York, 
 now known as Norman's Kill. 
 
 Tuscaloosa (tus-kah-loo'sah), a county in Central Alabama. 
 
 Vgudwash (you-gud-wash'), the sun-fish. 
 
 Wabasso (waw-bass'so), the white rabbit; the North. 
 
 Wahun (waw'bun), the East-Wind. 
 
 Wabun An'ning, the Star of the East, the Morning Star. 
 
 Wahonowin (wah-huh-no'win), a cry of lamentation. 
 
 Wahwahtaysee (waw-waw-tay'see), the fire-fly. 
 
 Wampum (wom'pum), beads of shell. 
 
 Wawa (waw'waw), the wild goose. 
 
 WawheeTc (waw'beek), a rock. 
 
 Wawonaissa (waw-won-ais'sah), the whippoorwill. 
 
 Wendigoes (wen'dig-goez), giants, monsters; the most dreadful of the Evil 
 
 Spirits. 
 Wenonah (wen-no'nah), Hiawatha's mother, daughter of Nokomis. 
 Wyoming (wi-o'ming). Valley of, a valley in Northern Pennsylvania. 
 Y€nadiz2;e (yen-nah-diz'zah), an idle fellow. 
 
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