HIAWATHA'S FRIENDS by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This part of Longfellow's epic poem introduces Hiawatha's two closest friends: Chibiabos, a musician whose talent is so remarkable that even nature pauses to hear him, and Kwasind, a man with incredible strength who appears lazy until you witness his true capabilities.
The poem
Two good friends had Hiawatha, Singled out from all the others, Bound to him in closest union, And to whom he gave the right hand Of his heart, in joy and sorrow; Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind. Straight between them ran the pathway, Never grew the grass upon it; Singing birds, that utter falsehoods, Story-tellers, mischief-makers, Found no eager ear to listen, Could not breed ill-will between them, For they kept each other's counsel, Spake with naked hearts together, Pondering much and much contriving How the tribes of men might prosper. Most beloved by Hiawatha Was the gentle Chibiabos, He the best of all musicians, He the sweetest of all singers. Beautiful and childlike was he, Brave as man is, soft as woman, Pliant as a wand of willow, Stately as a deer with antlers. When he sang, the village listened; All the warriors gathered round him, All the women came to hear him; Now he stirred their souls to passion, Now he melted them to pity. From the hollow reeds he fashioned Flutes so musical and mellow, That the brook, the Sebowisha, Ceased to murmur in the woodland, That the wood-birds ceased from singing, And the squirrel, Adjidaumo, Ceased his chatter in the oak-tree, And the rabbit, the Wabasso, Sat upright to look and listen. Yes, the brook, the Sebowisha, Pausing, said, "O Chibiabos, Teach my waves to flow in music, Softly as your words in singing!" Yes, the bluebird, the Owaissa, Envious, said, "O Chibiabos, Teach me tones as wild and wayward, Teach me songs as full of frenzy!" Yes, the robin, the Opechee, Joyous, said, "O Chibiabos, Teach me tones as sweet and tender, Teach me songs as full of gladness!" And the whippoorwill, Wawonaissa, Sobbing, said, "O Chibiabos, Teach me tones as melancholy, Teach me songs as full of sadness!" All the many sounds of nature Borrowed sweetness from his singing; All the hearts of men were softened By the pathos of his music; For he sang of peace and freedom, Sang of beauty, love, and longing; Sang of death, and life undying In the Islands of the Blessed, In the kingdom of Ponemah, In the land of the Hereafter. Very dear to Hiawatha Was the gentle Chibiabos, He the best of all musicians, He the sweetest of all singers; For his gentleness he loved him, And the magic of his singing. Dear, too, unto Hiawatha Was the very strong man, Kwasind, He the strongest of all mortals, He the mightiest among many; For his very strength he loved him, For his strength allied to goodness. Idle in his youth was Kwasind, Very listless, dull, and dreamy, Never played with other children, Never fished and never hunted, Not like other children was he; But they saw that much he fasted, Much his Manito entreated, Much besought his Guardian Spirit. "Lazy Kwasind!" said his mother, "In my work you never help me! In the Summer you are roaming Idly in the fields and forests; In the Winter you are cowering O'er the firebrands in the wigwam! In the coldest days of Winter I must break the ice for fishing; With my nets you never help me! At the door my nets are hanging, Dripping, freezing with the water; Go and wring them, Yenadizze! Go and dry them in the sunshine!" Slowly, from the ashes, Kwasind Rose, but made no angry answer; From the lodge went forth in silence, Took the nets, that hung together, Dripping, freezing at the doorway; Like a wisp of straw he wrung them, Like a wisp of straw he broke them, Could not wring them without breaking, Such the strength was in his fingers. "Lazy Kwasind!" said his father, "In the hunt you never help me; Every bow you touch is broken, Snapped asunder every arrow; Yet come with me to the forest, You shall bring the hunting homeward." Down a narrow pass they wandered, Where a brooklet led them onward, Where the trail of deer and bison Marked the soft mud on the margin, Till they found all further passage Shut against them, barred securely By the trunks of trees uprooted, Lying lengthwise, lying crosswise, And forbidding further passage. "We must go back," said the old man, "O'er these logs we cannot clamber; Not a woodchuck could get through them, Not a squirrel clamber o'er them!" And straightway his pipe he lighted, And sat down to smoke and ponder. But before his pipe was finished, Lo! the path was cleared before him; All the trunks had Kwasind lifted, To the right hand, to the left hand, Shot the pine-trees swift as arrows, Hurled the cedars light as lances. "Lazy Kwasind!" said the young men, As they sported in the meadow: "Why stand idly looking at us, Leaning on the rock behind you? Come and wrestle with the others, Let us pitch the quoit together!" Lazy Kwasind made no answer, To their challenge made no answer, Only rose, and slowly turning, Seized the huge rock in his fingers, Tore it from its deep foundation, Poised it in the air a moment, Pitched it sheer into the river, Sheer into the swift Pauwating, Where it still is seen in Summer. Once as down that foaming river, Down the rapids of Pauwating, Kwasind sailed with his companions, In the stream he saw a beaver, Saw Ahmeek, the King of Beavers, Struggling with the rushing currents, Rising, sinking in the water. Without speaking, without pausing, Kwasind leaped into the river, Plunged beneath the bubbling surface, Through the whirlpools chased the beaver, Followed him among the islands, Stayed so long beneath the water, That his terrified companions Cried, "Alas! good-by to Kwasind! We shall never more see Kwasind!" But he reappeared triumphant, And upon his shining shoulders Brought the beaver, dead and dripping, Brought the King of all the Beavers. And these two, as I have told you, Were the friends of Hiawatha, Chibiabos, the musician, And the very strong man, Kwasind. Long they lived in peace together, Spake with naked hearts together, Pondering much and much contriving How the tribes of men might prosper.
This part of Longfellow's epic poem introduces Hiawatha's two closest friends: Chibiabos, a musician whose talent is so remarkable that even nature pauses to hear him, and Kwasind, a man with incredible strength who appears lazy until you witness his true capabilities. Together, these three friends share a deep bond based on trust and a common goal of helping their people flourish. It's reminiscent of a superhero team origin story, wrapped in the tone of an ancient legend.
Line-by-line
Two good friends had Hiawatha, / Singled out from all the others,
Most beloved by Hiawatha / Was the gentle Chibiabos,
When he sang, the village listened; / All the warriors gathered round him,
From the hollow reeds he fashioned / Flutes so musical and mellow,
Yes, the brook, the Sebowisha, / Pausing, said, "O Chibiabos,
All the many sounds of nature / Borrowed sweetness from his singing;
Dear, too, unto Hiawatha / Was the very strong man, Kwasind,
"Lazy Kwasind!" said his mother, / "In my work you never help me!
"Lazy Kwasind!" said his father, / "In the hunt you never help me;
"Lazy Kwasind!" said the young men, / As they sported in the meadow:
Once as down that foaming river, / Down the rapids of Pauwating,
And these two, as I have told you, / Were the friends of Hiawatha,
Tone & mood
The tone feels warm, ceremonial, and relaxed. Longfellow writes as if he's a storyteller sharing tales with an attentive audience, staying true to the tradition he's drawing from. He expresses genuine tenderness in his portrayal of both friends—there's no irony or detachment here. When humor appears in the poem (like Kwasind snapping the nets or the father taking a moment to smoke), it's lighthearted and never derisive. The prevailing sentiment is one of admiration: for friendship, for talent, and for strength that serves others.
Symbols & metaphors
- The pathway between friends — "Straight between them ran the pathway, / Never grew the grass upon it" vividly illustrates a dynamic, thriving friendship. A path remains clear only when people continue to walk it. If grass starts to grow over a path, it signifies neglect and abandonment. This single image encapsulates how Hiawatha, Chibiabos, and Kwasind nurture their connection.
- Chibiabos's flute — Made from hollow reeds—materials sourced directly from nature—the flute embodies the notion that true art emerges from the world rather than imposing itself on it. The idea that nature falls silent to listen implies that great art complements the world instead of competing with it.
- The boulder in the river — Kwasind's thrown rock, which can still be seen in the summer, symbolizes a strength that is free of ego. He doesn’t throw it to boast — he throws it because the young men dared him, and he just answers the challenge. The rock's presence in the river connects the legend to an actual location, grounding the story in reality.
- The King of Beavers — Ahmeek, the King of Beavers, is more than just a big animal. In various Indigenous traditions, beavers represent hard work and the stewardship of water. When Kwasind catches the King of Beavers, it shows his mastery over nature, but his silent approach and lack of showiness reflect his humility.
- "Naked hearts" — The phrase "spake with naked hearts together" appears twice, framing the entire poem. It conveys the idea of total honesty—no pretense, no self-defense. Amid all the remarkable gifts in the poem (like music and strength), Longfellow emphasizes that the most crucial element between friends is the genuine willingness to be completely open with one another.
- The Islands of the Blessed / Ponemah — Chibiabos sings about an afterlife — a place we call the Hereafter. These images serve as symbols of hope and continuity. They remind us that his music does more than entertain; it binds the community's spiritual life, offering a way for people to reflect on death without falling into despair.
Historical context
Longfellow published *The Song of Hiawatha* in 1855, during a time when American writers were eager to create a unique American mythology. He relied heavily on Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's ethnographic accounts of Ojibwe culture and legends, and he crafted the poem's trochaic tetrameter—characterized by its distinctive falling rhythm—based on the Finnish epic *Kalevala*. The poem became a huge success, selling thousands of copies within weeks of its release. "Hiawatha's Friends" is the fifth canto of the full epic. Longfellow's characters Chibiabos and Kwasind are inspired by Ojibwe oral tradition, although he adapted and romanticized them quite a bit. The poem occupies a complex space: it genuinely sought to honor Indigenous stories at a time when those communities were facing violent dispossession, yet it has faced criticism for oversimplifying the richness of Ojibwe culture within a European epic framework.
FAQ
The poem uses trochaic tetrameter, with each line featuring four pairs of stressed and unstressed syllables, creating a powerful, rhythmic beat. Longfellow took this meter from the Finnish epic *Kalevala*. The repetition is deliberate, reflecting oral storytelling traditions where repeating phrases assist listeners in keeping track of the narrative and remembering what they’ve heard. Once you hear it, it sticks in your mind.
There was indeed a historical figure named Hiawatha, a leader from the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) who played a key role in establishing the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, likely during the 15th or 16th century. However, Longfellow's Hiawatha is a distinct character, inspired by Ojibwe legends gathered by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Longfellow effectively blended these two traditions to craft a fictional composite hero.
Longfellow borrowed these names straight from Schoolcraft's ethnographic writings, which were inspired by Ojibwe oral tradition. By using the original names, Longfellow rooted the poem in a specific cultural context instead of simply translating them into English. This choice also contributes to the poem's unique sound—those long, vowel-rich words flow perfectly within the trochaic meter.
It means they communicated with total honesty—no facades, no pretending. "Naked" in this context isn't about being physical; it refers to being free from the social roles people typically adopt. Longfellow repeats this phrase twice in the poem to emphasize that radical honesty is the bedrock of their friendship.
Kwasind doesn't engage in typical activities like fishing, hunting, or playing with other kids, as ordinary tools and tasks simply can't handle his strength. He breaks every bow he touches and snaps nets just by wringing them out. What might seem like "laziness" is actually a form of enforced restraint; he holds back because unleashing his full power would cause destruction. The poem repeats the taunt "Lazy Kwasind!" as a setup, making each demonstration of his true strength hit harder.
In many storytelling traditions, when nature goes quiet to listen to a human musician, it’s considered the greatest compliment. The brook, the birds, the squirrel, and the rabbit all stop what they're doing. Then each creature turns to Chibiabos and asks to be taught. This role reversal, where nature learns from a human instead of the usual way around, raises Chibiabos to the status of a divine artist.
Many scholars and Indigenous readers have pointed out that *The Song of Hiawatha* filters Ojibwe stories through a European epic lens, simplifying their complexity and depicting Indigenous peoples as a disappearing, pre-modern world. While Longfellow intended the poem as a tribute, good intentions don’t negate the impact of reshaping another culture's stories for a white 19th-century audience. It’s important to read the poem with this tension in mind rather than overlook it.
The pairing is likely intentional. Chibiabos embodies the inner life — music, emotion, spiritual belief, and the arts. Kwasind symbolizes physical strength and action. Together, they imply that a well-rounded community, or a well-rounded individual, requires both aspects. As a leader, Hiawatha needs the friend who inspires emotions and the friend who shifts heavy stones. This concept about what enables a civilization to thrive is quite ancient.