Miss Becky's Blog

"Loss and Gain" by Longfellow

This little essay including Longfellow poem, is more meaningful for me today after visiting Boston, where we walked throught "Longfellow Park" to Church and there is a big bridge in Boston named for him as well.

"Loss and Gain"

The life of beloved poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is proof that good can come from sorrow and difficulty. He received great honors for his many successes, but—like all of us—he also knew his share of heartbreak and grief, including the tragic death of his wife.

From the losses he suffered, however, Longfellow gained insight and strength that found voice in his poems. Longfellow's poetry lives on today not only for its rhyme and rhythm but because it expresses courage and optimism, even in the face of disappointment.

In his poem "Loss and Gain" Longfellow writes of regret, of longing, of the wisdom born of humility, and of the hope that can come when we have faith in the future.

When I compare

What I have lost with what I have gained,

What I have missed with what attained,

Little room do I find for pride.

I am aware

How many days have been idly spent;

How like an arrow the good intent

Has fallen short or been turned aside.

But who shall dare

To measure loss and gain in this wise?

Defeat may be victory in disguise;

The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.1

Life is full of wins and losses. But no loss will be in vain if we do our best to learn from it and then forge ahead with all the courage and optimism we can muster. We'll often find that life's inevitable stumbling blocks can become our greatest stepping stones.

1 The Complete Poetical Works of Longfellow (1893), 359.

From Music and the Spoken Word, March 26,2006