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The Annotated Edition

PRESIDENT GARFIELD by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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

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Written as a tribute to President James A.

Poet
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Themes
courage, death, faith
The PoemFull text

PRESIDENT GARFIELD

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"E venni dal martirio a questa pace." These words the poet heard in Paradise, Uttered by one who, bravely dying here, In the true faith was living in that sphere Where the celestial cross of sacrifice Spread its protecting arms athwart the skies; And set thereon, like jewels crystal clear, The souls magnanimous, that knew not fear, Flashed their effulgence on his dazzled eyes. Ah me! how dark the discipline of pain, Were not the suffering followed by the sense Of infinite rest and infinite release! This is our consolation; and again A great soul cries to us in our suspense, "I came from martyrdom unto this peace!"

Public domain

Sourced from Project Gutenberg

§01Quick summary

What this poem is about

Written as a tribute to President James A. Garfield, who was shot by an assassin in 1881 and died after months of pain, this sonnet references a line from Dante's *Paradiso* to portray Garfield's death as a form of martyrdom that brings heavenly peace. Longfellow uses the imagery of souls shining like jewels on a celestial cross to suggest that those who die bravely for a just cause are honored. Ultimately, the poem conveys a message of comfort: enduring great suffering with courage leads to rest and liberation.

§02Themes

Recurring themes

§03Line by line

Stanza by stanza, with notes

  1. "E venni dal martirio a questa pace." / These words the poet heard in Paradise,

    Editor's note

    The Italian quote — "And I came from martyrdom to this peace" — comes directly from Dante's *Paradiso* (Canto XV), spoken by a soul who sacrificed their life for a just cause. Longfellow begins by framing Garfield's death within this same Dantean context: he deliberately compares the president to a Christian martyr whose suffering culminated in heavenly peace. "The poet" refers to Dante himself, serving as the guide through Paradise.

  2. Uttered by one who, bravely dying here, / In the true faith was living in that sphere

    Editor's note

    The soul Dante met faced death with courage on earth and now thrives in the heavenly realm. Longfellow subtly connects this to Garfield, a man who faced his gradual demise with public bravery and is now, as the poem suggests, present in that same celestial sphere. "True faith" holds both religious significance and a commitment to one's principles.

  3. Where the celestial cross of sacrifice / Spread its protecting arms athwart the skies;

    Editor's note

    In Dante's *Paradiso*, the Heaven of Mars takes the form of a radiant cross, where the souls of warriors and martyrs reside. Longfellow directly draws from this imagery. The cross "spreads its protecting arms" — a phrase that transforms the symbol of suffering into one of safety and warmth, implying that sacrifice serves not as a conclusion, but as a pathway to refuge.

  4. And set thereon, like jewels crystal clear, / The souls magnanimous, that knew not fear,

    Editor's note

    The souls on the cross shine like clear jewels — bright, pure, and everlasting. The term "magnanimous," meaning great-souled, carries a classical significance that dates back to Aristotle's concept of a person who acts nobly without seeking anything in return. These are souls characterized by courage and selflessness, and Garfield is quietly included among them.

  5. Flashed their effulgence on his dazzled eyes. / Ah me! how dark the discipline of pain,

    Editor's note

    The sestet begins by shifting focus from vision to emotion. Dante is captivated by the brilliance of those souls; in contrast, Longfellow shifts to the living, who are overshadowed by sorrow. The phrase "the discipline of pain" stands out — it views suffering as a form of tough education, shaping and challenging us, even when it seems purely harsh.

  6. Were not the suffering followed by the sense / Of infinite rest and infinite release!

    Editor's note

    This is the theological hinge of the poem. Pain would feel unbearable—like pure darkness—if it weren't followed by something. That something is described with intentional grandeur: *infinite* rest, *infinite* release. The repetition of "infinite" emphasizes that what comes next is not merely relief but something beyond any earthly measure.

  7. This is our consolation; and again / A great soul cries to us in our suspense,

    Editor's note

    Longfellow steps up as a speaker, addressing the grieving American public directly. "Our suspense" is a fitting term: the nation had anxiously waited for nearly three months as Garfield hovered between life and death. The comfort being offered isn’t just sentimental; it’s rooted in the Dantean tradition and the example of a life well lived.

  8. "I came from martyrdom unto this peace!"

    Editor's note

    The poem wraps up by revisiting its opening line, this time translated into English and spoken in Garfield's voice. This repetition forms a circular, almost ritualistic structure: it starts with Dante's martyr speaking and concludes with Garfield echoing those same words. The result is a deep connection for Garfield to that tradition of noble, redemptive suffering — while also providing his voice as a source of comfort for those still alive.

§04Tone & mood

How this poem feels

The tone is solemn and comforting, with an undercurrent of genuine grief beneath the formal exterior. Longfellow isn't merely expressing sorrow — at 74, he had experienced his own share of tragedy, and the poem reflects a man who has deeply contemplated suffering and discovered, if not a solution, at least a structure that provides support. There is a sense of reverence throughout, both for Garfield and for Dante, and the closing repetition of the Italian line in English resonates with a quiet, dignified finality instead of a dramatic flourish.

§05Symbols & metaphors

Symbols & metaphors

The celestial cross
The cross in the Heaven of Mars, directly inspired by Dante's *Paradiso*, is the resting place for the souls of martyrs and warriors. In this poem, it symbolizes the notion that sacrifice possesses a cosmic significance — that giving your life for a cause greater than yourself elevates you into a lasting, radiant order.
Jewels / crystal clear souls
The souls on the cross sparkle like clear jewels, representing purity, permanence, and value. Jewels form under pressure, subtly supporting the poem's message that suffering creates something precious and enduring.
Darkness / discipline of pain
Pain is depicted as darkness — something that hides and weighs down. However, referring to it as a "discipline" shifts its perception to something intentional rather than arbitrary, a tough lesson instead of just cruelty. This struggle between darkness and the bright jewels above forms the poem's core emotional conflict.
The repeated Italian line
The Dante quotation, which appears first as an epigraph and then as Garfield's own words, acts as a frame or seal. It links a 13th-century Florentine poet, a 19th-century American president, and the shared experience of witnessing someone die slowly. This connection implies that such grief and consolation are not new but are part of a long-standing human tradition.
Infinite rest and infinite release
The repetition of "infinite" is intentional. It challenges the limited nature of earthly suffering and asserts that what comes after death is fundamentally different — not merely a longer pause, but a rest of an entirely different kind. This is Longfellow's clearest theological assertion in the poem.

§06Historical context

Historical context

President James A. Garfield was shot on July 2, 1881, only four months into his presidency, by a frustrated office-seeker named Charles J. Guiteau. He didn’t die right away — instead, he lingered for 79 days as the nation looked on, his health deteriorating partly due to poor medical care. He passed away on September 19, 1881. The assassination stunned Americans who had believed the era of political violence was behind them after Lincoln's assassination. Longfellow, then in his mid-seventies and one of the most renowned poets in the English-speaking world, composed this sonnet as an elegy. He drew inspiration from Dante's *Paradiso* — particularly the Heaven of Mars in Canto XV, where the soul of Cacciaguida speaks — to frame Garfield's death in terms of martyrdom and transcendence. It was one of Longfellow's last poems before he died in March 1882.

§07FAQ

Questions readers ask

It translates to "And I came from martyrdom to this peace" and is taken from Dante's *Paradiso*, Canto XV, line 148. In the poem, these words are spoken by Cacciaguida, Dante's great-great-grandfather, who perished during a Crusade. Longfellow employs this line to echo Garfield's death in similar terms: a courageous man who endured suffering and died for a cause greater than himself, now at peace.

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