essay (_v._) by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Sonnet XX from Longfellow's sequence "Divine Tragedy" (or more likely his sonnet sequence) explores the act of trying — using "essay" in its older sense, meaning to attempt or test oneself. Longfellow considers the bravery required to tackle something challenging, even when there's a chance of failing. The poem honors effort itself as noble, regardless of the outcome.

Reflective and quietly determined. Longfellow writes with a sense of resilience, avoiding self-pity. The tone here feels like one of steady resolve — someone who has seen enough of life to understand that the effort itself is what truly counts, rather than just the outcome.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) was one of the most popular American poets during the nineteenth century. By the time he was creating his later sonnets and numbered sequences, he had faced considerable personal loss — most notably the tragic death of his second wife, Fanny, in a fire in 1861. His later poetry often takes on a more introspective and philosophical tone compared to his well-known narrative pieces like *Evangeline* or *The Song of Hiawatha*. The term "essay" retains its Renaissance meaning here: to test, to try, to assay (as in checking the purity of metal). Longfellow had a deep appreciation for European literature and would have recognized that origin. His sonnet sequences reflect the influence of Dante and Petrarch, poets he both translated and admired.