THE FAMINE by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This poem tells the story of Hiawatha, a Native American hero, as he faces a brutal winter famine and fever that devastate his village, leading to the death of his beloved wife, Minnehaha.
The poem
Oh the long and dreary Winter! Oh the cold and cruel Winter! Ever thicker, thicker, thicker Froze the ice on lake and river, Ever deeper, deeper, deeper Fell the snow o'er all the landscape, Fell the covering snow, and drifted Through the forest, round the village. Hardly from his buried wigwam Could the hunter force a passage; With his mittens and his snow-shoes Vainly walked he through the forest, Sought for bird or beast and found none, Saw no track of deer or rabbit, In the snow beheld no footprints, In the ghastly, gleaming forest Fell, and could not rise from weakness, Perished there from cold and hunger. Oh the famine and the fever! Oh the wasting of the famine! Oh the blasting of the fever! Oh the wailing of the children! Oh the anguish of the women! All the earth was sick and famished; Hungry was the air around them, Hungry was the sky above them, And the hungry stars in heaven Like the eyes of wolves glared at them! Into Hiawatha's wigwam Came two other guests, as silent As the ghosts were, and as gloomy, Waited not to be invited Did not parley at the doorway Sat there without word of welcome In the seat of Laughing Water; Looked with haggard eyes and hollow At the face of Laughing Water. And the foremost said: "Behold me! I am Famine, Bukadawin!" And the other said: "Behold me! I am Fever, Ahkosewin!" And the lovely Minnehaha Shuddered as they looked upon her, Shuddered at the words they uttered, Lay down on her bed in silence, Hid her face, but made no answer; Lay there trembling, freezing, burning At the looks they cast upon her, At the fearful words they uttered. Forth into the empty forest Rushed the maddened Hiawatha; In his heart was deadly sorrow, In his face a stony firmness; On his brow the sweat of anguish Started, but it froze and fell not. Wrapped in furs and armed for hunting, With his mighty bow of ash-tree, With his quiver full of arrows, With his mittens, Minjekahwun, Into the vast and vacant forest On his snow-shoes strode he forward. "Gitche Manito, the Mighty!" Cried he with his face uplifted In that bitter hour of anguish, "Give your children food, O father! Give us food, or we must perish! Give me food for Minnehaha, For my dying Minnehaha!" Through the far-resounding forest, Through the forest vast and vacant Rang that cry of desolation, But there came no other answer Than the echo of his crying, Than the echo of the woodlands, "Minnehaha! Minnehaha!" All day long roved Hiawatha In that melancholy forest, Through the shadow of whose thickets, In the pleasant days of Summer, Of that ne'er forgotten Summer, He had brought his young wife homeward From the land of the Dacotahs; When the birds sang in the thickets, And the streamlets laughed and glistened, And the air was full of fragrance, And the lovely Laughing Water Said with voice that did not tremble, "I will follow you, my husband!" In the wigwam with Nokomis, With those gloomy guests that watched her, With the Famine and the Fever, She was lying, the Beloved, She, the dying Minnehaha. "Hark!" she said; "I hear a rushing, Hear a roaring and a rushing, Hear the Falls of Minnehaha Calling to me from a distance!" "No, my child!" said old Nokomis, "'T is the night-wind in the pine-trees!" "Look!" she said; "I see my father Standing lonely at his doorway, Beckoning to me from his wigwam In the land of the Dacotahs!" "No, my child!" said old Nokomis. "'T is the smoke, that waves and beckons!" "Ah!" said she, "the eyes of Pauguk Glare upon me in the darkness, I can feel his icy fingers Clasping mine amid the darkness! Hiawatha! Hiawatha!" And the desolate Hiawatha, Far away amid the forest, Miles away among the mountains, Heard that sudden cry of anguish, Heard the voice of Minnehaha Calling to him in the darkness, "Hiawatha! Hiawatha!" Over snow-fields waste and pathless, Under snow-encumbered branches, Homeward hurried Hiawatha, Empty-handed, heavy-hearted, Heard Nokomis moaning, wailing: "Wahonowin! Wahonowin! Would that I had perished for you, Would that I were dead as you are! Wahonowin! Wahonowin!" And he rushed into the wigwam, Saw the old Nokomis slowly Rocking to and fro and moaning, Saw his lovely Minnehaha Lying dead and cold before him, And his bursting heart within him Uttered such a cry of anguish, That the forest moaned and shuddered, That the very stars in heaven Shook and trembled with his anguish. Then he sat down, still and speechless, On the bed of Minnehaha, At the feet of Laughing Water, At those willing feet, that never More would lightly run to meet him, Never more would lightly follow. With both hands his face he covered, Seven long days and nights he sat there, As if in a swoon he sat there, Speechless, motionless, unconscious Of the daylight or the darkness. Then they buried Minnehaha; In the snow a grave they made her In the forest deep and darksome Underneath the moaning hemlocks; Clothed her in her richest garments Wrapped her in her robes of ermine, Covered her with snow, like ermine; Thus they buried Minnehaha. And at night a fire was lighted, On her grave four times was kindled, For her soul upon its journey To the Islands of the Blessed. From his doorway Hiawatha Saw it burning in the forest, Lighting up the gloomy hemlocks; From his sleepless bed uprising, From the bed of Minnehaha, Stood and watched it at the doorway, That it might not be extinguished, Might not leave her in the darkness. "Farewell!" said he, "Minnehaha! Farewell, O my Laughing Water! All my heart is buried with you, All my thoughts go onward with you! Come not back again to labor, Come not back again to suffer, Where the Famine and the Fever Wear the heart and waste the body. Soon my task will be completed, Soon your footsteps I shall follow To the Islands of the Blessed, To the Kingdom of Ponemah, To the Land of the Hereafter!"
This poem tells the story of Hiawatha, a Native American hero, as he faces a brutal winter famine and fever that devastate his village, leading to the death of his beloved wife, Minnehaha. In a desperate hunt for food, Hiawatha races through the icy forest while Minnehaha passes away in their wigwam. The poem concludes with Hiawatha mourning at her grave, pledging to join her in the afterlife. It captures themes of love, loss, and the overpowering force of nature in human existence.
Line-by-line
Oh the long and dreary Winter! / Oh the cold and cruel Winter!
Hardly from his buried wigwam / Could the hunter force a passage;
Oh the famine and the fever! / Oh the wasting of the famine!
Into Hiawatha's wigwam / Came two other guests, as silent / As the ghosts were
Forth into the empty forest / Rushed the maddened Hiawatha;
"Gitche Manito, the Mighty!" / Cried he with his face uplifted
All day long roved Hiawatha / In that melancholy forest,
"Hark!" she said; "I hear a rushing, / Hear a roaring and a rushing,
And the desolate Hiawatha, / Far away amid the forest,
Then he sat down, still and speechless, / On the bed of Minnehaha,
Then they buried Minnehaha; / In the snow a grave they made her
"Farewell!" said he, "Minnehaha! / Farewell, O my Laughing Water!
Tone & mood
The tone remains mournful and ceremonial, resembling a funeral song that never fully transitions into open weeping. Longfellow employs heavy repetition and a trochaic rhythm inspired by the Finnish epic *Kalevala*, giving it a steady and relentless quality—much like the famine itself. There are tender moments, particularly in Minnehaha's dying visions, as well as raw anguish in Hiawatha's prayer and his journey home. Yet, the poem never veers into hysteria. It maintains its grief with a dignified stillness that renders the loss both permanent and expansive.
Symbols & metaphors
- Winter and snow — The winter isn't just a season; it's more like an enemy. The snow hides wigwams, wipes out animal tracks, and ultimately blankets Minnehaha's grave. It symbolizes forces beyond our control: death, scarcity, and nature's indifference to human suffering.
- Famine and Fever as uninvited guests — By personifying Famine and Fever and having them enter the wigwam to take Minnehaha's seat, Longfellow makes these abstract threats feel immediate and invasive. They don't knock or hesitate. This reflects the nature of disease and starvation—they show up unannounced and seize what they desire.
- The echo of Minnehaha's name — When Hiawatha prays to Gitche Manito, the forest responds only with "Minnehaha." This echo carries a dual meaning: it reflects the silence of a god who doesn't answer, and it symbolizes the forest highlighting what Hiawatha is about to lose. The name translates to "Laughing Water," making the echo of laughter in a fading forest all the more poignant.
- The burial fire — The fire lit four times on Minnehaha's grave comes from Ojibwe spiritual practice, intended to guide the soul's journey to the afterlife. For Hiawatha, watching it burn throughout the night to keep it alive is the final act of love he can offer her — protecting her from darkness even in death.
- The Islands of the Blessed / Kingdom of Ponemah — This is the Ojibwe afterlife, and Hiawatha's repeated mentions of it shift the view of death from an ending to a destination. His promise to join Minnehaha there turns his grief into a sense of purpose, adding a touch of hope amidst the sorrow at the poem's conclusion.
- Summer memory — The flashback to the summer when Hiawatha brought Minnehaha home as his bride — with birds singing, streams bubbling, and the air filled with fragrance — stands in stark contrast to the frozen, silent, and deadly present. Summer represents life, love, and possibility, embodying everything the famine has taken away.
Historical context
This poem is a canto from Longfellow's 1855 epic *The Song of Hiawatha*, a lengthy narrative divided into 22 sections that draws from the legends of the Ojibwe people, as documented by ethnographer Henry Rowe Schoolcraft. Longfellow adopted the unique trochaic tetrameter—a four-beat rhythm that creates a falling effect—from the Finnish national epic *Kalevala*, translated by Elias Lönnrot. "The Famine" stands out as one of the most intense cantos, portraying the death of Minnehaha, Hiawatha's wife. The poem enjoyed immense popularity in its time, introducing numerous Americans to Native American names and mythology. However, it has faced criticism for romanticizing and oversimplifying Indigenous cultures through a European literary perspective. Longfellow wrote it amid a heated national discussion about westward expansion and the displacement of Native peoples, although the poem itself doesn't directly address those political issues.
FAQ
Hiawatha is the hero of Longfellow's epic poem *The Song of Hiawatha*, which is loosely inspired by an Ojibwe cultural figure. Minnehaha, whose name translates to "Laughing Water," is his wife, a Dakota woman he brought home in an earlier canto. In this poem, she succumbs to famine and fever during a harsh winter.
"Minnehaha" comes from the Ojibwe/Dakota language and means "laughing water" or "waterfall." Longfellow switches between this English translation and her name in the poem, adding a layer of irony — a woman named after something joyful and vibrant meets her end in silence and cold. This choice also links her to the Falls of Minnehaha, which she perceives in her final visions.
Hiawatha calls out to Gitche Manito (the Great Spirit) for food, but all he hears back is an echo of his wife's name. This serves as a sign that his prayer won't be answered as he wishes and that the true crisis lies not in the hunt but in Minnehaha's life. The echo is the forest's way of warning him about what he stands to lose.
By transforming Famine and Fever into characters who enter the wigwam, sit down without invitation, and gaze at Minnehaha, Longfellow gives them a chilling, personal presence. They become more than mere abstract forces; they are intruders who choose a specific spot and focus their attention on a particular woman. This choice makes the threat feel both immediate and intimate, rather than remote.
The poem uses trochaic tetrameter, which consists of a pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables with four beats in each line. Longfellow took this directly from the Finnish epic *Kalevala*. This rhythm produces a drum-like, chant-like effect that fits perfectly with themes of myth and ritual. The frequent repetition of phrases such as "Oh the famine" and "Minnehaha" enhances that mesmerizing, incantatory feel.
Longfellow referenced Henry Rowe Schoolcraft's ethnographic accounts of Ojibwe legends, so some names and cultural details are authentic — like Gitche Manito, Nokomis, and the burial fire tradition. However, the poem presents these elements through a European Romantic literary lens, portraying Indigenous life as timeless and mythical instead of historically grounded. Many scholars and Indigenous readers have noted that this romanticization, despite its good intentions, simplifies and overlooks the complexities of Indigenous experiences.
This is Longfellow's interpretation of the Ojibwe idea of the afterlife — a tranquil place where souls go after leaving this world. Hiawatha also calls it the "Kingdom of Ponemah" and the "Land of the Hereafter." His promise to join Minnehaha there shifts his sorrow into a sense of hope and purpose instead of just despair.
The seven days of silent, unconscious grief illustrate how profoundly Hiawatha feels his loss—he becomes disoriented, losing all sense of time, day and night, and the world around him. This number also holds ritual significance in various traditions. Instead of portraying grief through actions or tears, Longfellow emphasizes the stillness itself as the strongest expression of Hiawatha’s deep despair.