Henry Wadsworth Longfellow had a rich career, in both wealth and wealth of poetry. He gave us The Song of Hiawatha, “Paul Revere’s Ride,” Evangeline, translated works like Dante’s Divine Comedy, among others. One of my favorite poems of his is “The Rainy Day,” which I especially think of on rainy days. I have more recently begun to listen to this rhythmic, somber ballad-of-sorts while putting my daughter to sleep: rocking with headphones on as she tucks her head into my chest, a sound machine whirring white noise in the background.
Yes, I say listen. Longfellow died long ago. A YouTube channel has resurrected his and other poets’ work and set them to deep acoustics and inspirational music. “The Rainy Day” is my favorite so far.