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This timely analysis (August 2003) argues the strong possibility that the brilliant 19th century American poet, Henry
Wadworth Longfellow, witnessed the perihelion opposition of Mars. I submit that this later stimulated one of his most celebrated
masterpieces, the "Light of Stars" which echoes as one of his passionate "Voices of the Night."
(the 2.5 MB updated version of this PowerPoint presented at the MASP 2005 has been posted elsewhere)
link to Longfellow's Mars PPT
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The Second Psalm of Life (The Light of Stars)
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(Originally published in Knickerbocker Magazine 1838)
It glows and glitters in my cloudy breast,
Like stars upon some gloomy grove,
Or those faint beams in which this hill is drest
After the sun's remove
The night is come, but not too soon;
And sinking silently,
All silently, the little moon
Drops down behind the sky.
There is no light in earth or heaven
But the cold light of stars;
And the first watch of night is given
To the red planet Mars.
Is it the tender star of love?
The star of love and dreams?
O no! from that blue tent above,
A hero's armor gleams.
And earnest thoughts within me rise,
When I behold afar,
Suspended in the evening skies,
The shield of that red star.
O star of strength! I see thee stand
And smile upon my pain;
Thou beckonest with thy mailed hand,
And I am strong again.
Within my breast there is no light
But the cold light of stars;
I give the first watch of the night
To the red planet Mars.
The star of the unconquered will,
He rises in my breast,
Serene, and resolute, and still,
And calm, and self-possessed.
And thou, too, whosoe'er thou art,
That readest this brief psalm,
As one by one thy hopes depart,
Be resolute and calm.
O fear not in a world like this,
And thou shalt know ere long,
Know how sublime a thing it is
To suffer and be strong.
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