MORAVIAN MISSIONS. The Moravians are a Christian sect noted for their by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This poem is part of Longfellow's larger work about the Moravian missionaries — a dedicated Christian group recognized for spreading their faith to far-flung areas of the world. In this section, Longfellow reflects on the courage and deep spiritual commitment required to leave behind everything familiar in pursuit of a higher purpose. It explores the intersection of faith, exile, and the universal human desire to belong somewhere while also choosing to venture everywhere.

Reverent and quietly awed. Longfellow portrays the missionaries as genuinely heroic figures rather than fanatics, and his tone has the steady, unhurried weight of someone sharing a story that deeply resonates with them. There's no irony here — the admiration is clear and well-deserved.

The Moravian Church, established in Bohemia in the 15th century, became one of the most active Protestant missionary movements ever, sending missionaries to the Caribbean, Africa, Greenland, and Native American communities well before other denominations joined in. Longfellow, writing in 19th-century America, was intrigued by the blend of faith, frontier life, and cultural interactions. This poem fits into a sequence—likely part of a bigger narrative or collection—where Longfellow tackles historical and religious themes to delve into universal human experiences. His time was marked by fervent religious revival and westward expansion, making the Moravian example resonate deeply with his audience. The Roman numeral V indicates that this is part of a longer work, connecting it to Longfellow's extended narrative poems like *Evangeline* and *The Song of Hiawatha*.