"The Wreck of the Hesperus" is a

narrative poem Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be ...

by American poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include "Paul Revere's Ride", ''The Song of Hiawatha'', and '' Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely trans ...

, first published in ''Ballads and Other Poems'' in 1842. It is a story that presents the tragic consequences of a skipper's pride. On an ill-fated voyage in winter, he brings his daughter aboard ship for company. The skipper ignores the advice of one of his experienced men, who fears that a hurricane is approaching. When the storm arrives, the skipper ties his daughter to the mast to prevent her from being swept overboard. She calls out to her dying father as she hears the surf beating on the shore, then prays to Christ to calm the seas. The ship crashes onto the reef of

Norman's Woe Norman's Woe is a rock reef on Cape Ann in Gloucester, Massachusetts, about 500 feet offshore. It has been the site of a number of ship wrecks including the ''Rebecca Ann'' in March, 1823 during a snowstorm. Another was the wreck of the schooner ...

and sinks; the next morning a horrified fisherman finds the daughter's body, still tied to the mast and drifting in the surf. The poem ends with a prayer that all be spared such a fate "on the reef of Norman's Woe." The poem was published in the ''New World'', edited by

Park Benjamin Park Benjamin (1849–1922) was an American patent lawyer and writer. He was born in New York City, graduated at the United States Naval Academy in 1867, resigned from the Navy in 1869, and graduated at the Albany Law School in the following y ...

, which appeared on January 10, 1840. Longfellow was paid $25 for it, .

Inspiration

Longfellow combined fact and fiction to create this poem. His inspiration was the great blizzard of 1839, which ravaged the north-east coast of the United States for 12 hours starting January 6, 1839, destroying 20 ships with a loss of 40 lives. The poem appears to combine two events. Longfellow probably drew for the specifics on the destruction of the ''Favorite'', a ship from Wiscasset, Maine, on the reef of

off the coast of

Gloucester, Massachusetts Gloucester () is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It sits on Cape Ann and is a part of Massachusetts's North Shore. The population was 29,729 at the 2020 U.S. Census. An important center of the fishing industry and a ...

. All aboard were lost, one a woman, who reportedly floated to shore dead but still tied to the mast. The name used in the poem is that of another vessel, lost near Boston. The poem is so well known that the loop road leading close to Norman's Woe from Route 127 is named Hesperus Ave. In December 1839, Longfellow wrote in his diary about the writing of "The Wreck of the Hesperus":

Adaptations

"The Wreck of the Hesperus" was adapted into films of the same name in 1927 and 1948.

Namesakes

The poem has inspired titles in various media: * It was the inspiration for a 1944

Mighty Mouse Mighty Mouse is an American animated anthropomorphic superhero mouse character created by the Terrytoons studio for 20th Century Fox. The character was originally called Super Mouse, and made his debut in the 1942 short ''The Mouse of Tomorro ...

cartoon of the same name. * Wreck of the Hesperus is the name of an Irish doom/drone metal band. * The Pleasure Island amusement park in

Wakefield, Massachusetts Wakefield is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts in the Greater Boston metropolitan area, incorporated in 1812 and located about north-northwest of Downtown Boston. Wakefield's population was 27,090 at the 2020 census. Wakefield offer ...

(1958–1970), 18 miles south-west of the site where the fictional ''Hesperus'' sank, featured a ride named "The Wreck of the Hesperus". * The rock band

Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...

included their song "The Wreck of the Hesperus" on their album '' A Salty Dog'' (1969). *

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

included a song titled "Wreck of the Hesperus" on his 1987 album '' Cloud Nine''.

References

Smart Money 1931

External links

"The Wreck of the Hesperus" (Project Gutenberg Text)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wreck of the Hesperus, The Poetry by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems adapted into films 1842 poems Narrative poems Maritime folklore Nautical fiction