The Best Medicines by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It suggests that by nurturing joy, practicing moderation, and ensuring you get enough rest, you'll maintain your health and won't require a doctor. Essentially, it argues in two lines that a healthy lifestyle is the best medicine.

It's a comic image, not a harsh one. The doctor symbolizes illness and the necessity for medical care. Slamming the door on him signifies that those three virtues prevent sickness from entering. The humor reinforces the lesson.

Temperance refers to moderation — avoiding extremes in food, drink, or any other desires. During Longfellow's time, it was closely linked to the temperance movement, which fought against alcohol consumption. Ultimately, the concept revolves around self-control and finding balance.

Yes. A couplet consists of two lines that rhyme, and that's what we have here. "Repose" and "nose" are the rhyming words. It's one of the simplest forms of poetry.

Poets frequently create brief pieces in addition to their main works—these can be quick observations, jokes, or maxims that don't require much space. This feels like something Longfellow might have quickly noted down because the thought was fully expressed in just two lines. Stretching it out would have ruined the humor.

The main elements are personification (Joy, Temperance, and Repose are depicted as people capable of slamming a door), rhyme ("Repose" / "nose"), and imagery (the lively, almost cartoonish image of a door slamming into a doctor's nose). Additionally, there's a hint of humor that serves as a form of irony—the poem acts as a type of medicine presented without any bitterness.

The message is clear: prevention is better than cure. Instead of waiting until we get sick to seek treatment, Longfellow suggests that emotional happiness, self-discipline, and rest are the true cornerstones of good health. This holistic perspective feels remarkably contemporary.

It's closely related to the saying "an apple a day keeps the doctor away," which was popular in various forms in the 19th century. It also reflects Benjamin Franklin's knack for condensing practical wisdom into brief, memorable phrases — much like in Poor Richard's Almanack.