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The Annotated Edition

FARMER. by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Summary, meaning, line-by-line analysis & FAQ.

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This short dramatic fragment features a dialogue where one character warns another that a third party is accusing them of murder — specifically, trampling a man named Goodell to death in a fit of rage over a wage dispute.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Meter
blank verse
Themes
anger, death, fear
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The PoemFull text

FARMER.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

He said you did it out of spite to him For taking part against you in the quarrel You had with your John Gloyd about his wages. He says you murdered Goodell; that you trampled Upon his body till he breathed no more. And so beware of him; that's my advice! [Exit.

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

This short dramatic fragment features a dialogue where one character warns another that a third party is accusing them of murder — specifically, trampling a man named Goodell to death in a fit of rage over a wage dispute. The tone feels more like a scene from a play than a lyric poem, concluding with a stage direction ("Exit"). After delivering the accusation, the speaker walks away, leaving the accused to ponder the warning.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. He said you did it out of spite to him / For taking part against you in the quarrel

    Editor's note

    The speaker shares a claim made by someone else. According to them, the motive stems from a personal grudge: one person took sides against the accused during a disagreement, and the accused allegedly retaliated. We're thrown right into a tense social scenario without any context.

  2. You had with your John Gloyd about his wages.

    Editor's note

    The quarrel stems from something quite common — a disagreement about pay. Mentioning 'John Gloyd' adds a realistic, almost documentary vibe to the scene. This isn’t a lofty aristocratic battle; it’s a rural, working-class argument over money.

  3. He says you murdered Goodell; that you trampled / Upon his body till he breathed no more.

    Editor's note

    The accusation quickly shifts from 'spite' to outright murder. The word 'trampled' is striking and physical—conveying an intense rage taken to a brutal extreme. The phrase 'till he breathed no more' is straightforward and definitive, making the alleged act feel even more chilling.

  4. And so beware of him; that's my advice! / [Exit.

    Editor's note

    The speaker concludes with a stark warning before stepping off the stage. The suddenness is jarring—this individual shares heartbreaking news and then promptly departs. The stage direction indicates that this is dramatic verse, part of a more extensive theatrical piece. The accused remains alone, the weight of the accusation lingering in the atmosphere.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is urgent and conspiratorial. The speaker isn’t an authority figure; they’re sharing risky information, almost like gossip, but with serious consequences. The language is blunt ("that's my advice!") and has a working-class, straightforward vibe. Beneath this straightforward delivery lies a sense of threat and social danger.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The wage dispute
The dispute about John Gloyd's wages highlights the ongoing economic struggles in rural life. What starts as a disagreement over money can quickly escalate into violence, illustrating how even minor injustices can lead to major consequences.
Trampling
The act of trampling — a term linked to livestock and farming — connects the violence to the agricultural environment the characters live in. It also hints at rage that extends beyond just one strike, suggesting a pattern of ongoing, intentional brutality.
The Exit
The stage direction serves as a symbol: the informant gives the warning and then disappears, leaving the accused alone. It highlights how rapidly community support can vanish once an accusation is made.

§06Form & structure

Form & structure

Meter
blank verse

§07Historical context

Historical context

Longfellow is best known for his lengthy narrative poems like *Evangeline* and *The Song of Hiawatha*, but he also ventured into drama, notably with his verse play *New England Tragedies* (1868), which explores themes of Puritan-era justice and community violence. This fragment seems to be a piece of dramatic verse — a speech from a larger theatrical or narrative context. It feels grounded in rural New England, where land disputes, labor issues, and wage conflicts were frequent sources of tension in the 18th and 19th centuries. Longfellow had a keen interest in American history and the moral lives of everyday people, which is evident in this fragment: the characters are farmers and laborers, not traditional heroes, and the crime suggested is driven by passion and spite rather than grand evil. The straightforward, unembellished language is typical of his dramatic writing style.

§08FAQ

Questions readers ask

It's a piece of dramatic verse — poetry intended for characters to perform on stage. The stage direction '[Exit.' at the end indicates that it's from a theatrical work. Longfellow created several verse dramas, and this seems to be a scene from one of those.

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