The Arsenal at Springfield by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
"The Arsenal at Springfield" is a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow that explores themes of war and peace through a pacifistic lens. Comprised of twelve quatrains, the poem draws a stark contrast between the sounds of warfare and the harmonious potential of a peaceful future. The opening stanzas describe the munitions stored at the Springfield armory, likening them to an "organ," which sets the stage for a discussion on the discordance of war. Longfellow reflects on the historical toll of war across diverse cultures and epochs, portraying the devastation it brings in vivid detail.
As the poem progresses, it envisions a future where humanity redirects its resources and energies from conflict to enlightenment, suggesting that peace could prevail if there is a collective effort to change. The latter stanzas culminate in a hopeful vision, with imagery that evokes a serene and beautiful world, free from the blight of warfare. The poem’s structure and use of musical metaphors enhance its message, reinforcing the idea that the sounds of conflict are unnatural compared to the 'celestial harmonies' of peace. Overall, "The Arsenal at Springfield" serves as a poignant commentary on the human condition, urging reflection on the cost of war and the possibility of a peaceful existence.
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The Arsenal at Springfield by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
First published: 1844; collected in The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems, 1845
Type of poem: Lyric
The Poem
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The Arsenal at Springfield” is a pacifistic, antiwar poem made up of twelve quatrains of loosely iambic pentameter lines, centering on the horrors of war and foreseeing an epoch in which peace replaces the need for arms. Longfellow uses the initial “organ-like” appearance of the “pipes” of the stashed arms as a basis to contrast the music of war to the music of peace throughout the rest of the poem.
The first and second stanzas briefly describe the munitions stored in the Massachusetts armory and point out how their present disuse contrasts with what happens during war when “the death-angel” commands weaponry, resulting in “cries of agony” and “loud lament.” Stanzas 3-8 summarize the history and the misery of wars “through the ages” around the world—“the Saxon hammer” in Germany and England, the “roars” of “the Norseman’s song” in Scandinavia, “the Tartar gong” in Asia, the Florentine and “his battle-bell” in Italy, and the “Aztec priests” beating “wild war-drums” in Mexico. Stanza 6 includes a striking summary of the devastation of war: the “sacked and burning” towns, the disregarded pleas “for mercy,” and the cry of the hungry. Stanza 8 contrasts the “discordant noises” of war with “Nature’s sweet and kindly voices,” thus emphasizing the unnaturalness of fighting and killing, which conflict with the peaceful existence of the heavens.
The last four stanzas of the poem describe what a peaceful future might be like. Stanzas 9 and 10 note that if only human beings would use “half the power” and “half the wealth” devoted to arms “to redeem the human mind from error,” the future could be free of slaughter and wars. In such a peaceful age, were any nation to start a war, it would be cursed. In stanzas 11 and 12, the poet continues to foresee such an age in biblical terms, with Christ saying “‘Peace!’” and the hoped-for future described as being as “beautiful” as the heavenly “songs of the immortals” pictured in the Book of Revelation.
Forms and Devices
“The Arsenal at Springfield” is structured in three parts. The first part, stanzas 1 and 2, describes the stored arms at the arsenal in terms of “a huge organ,” thus creating an image related to music that the rest of the poem develops, and it provides a generalized statement regarding the agony of war. Stanzas 3-8, the second part of the poem, briefly summarize the horrors of war throughout the world and the ages by citing races and geographical areas noted for legendary warlike behavior. The final part of the poem, stanzas 9-12, looks forward to a time of peace, when war will no longer be a blight on human experience.
In order to emphasize the contrast between the music of war and the music of peace, Longfellow employs aural images throughout the poem, building on the idea of the organ from the first stanza. In stanza 2, the “death-angel” who “touches those swift keys” creates “wild and dreary” music and “awful symphonies.” In stanzas 4 and 5, even the references to warlike races and geographical areas is relayed through discordant and loud sounds: a hammer, a gong, a “battle-bell,” and war drums. The reader can imagine the sounds of actual fighting in stanzas 7 and 8: “The bursting shell, the gateway wrenched asunder,/ The rattling musketry, the clashing blade.” These harsh sounds coming from “accursed instruments” contrast with “Nature’s sweet and kindly voices” and “the celestial harmonies” of peace.
Stanzas 9-12 display images of peaceful music in a hoped-for future. In the eleventh stanza, as wars fade from human experience, Christ’s voice is heard “with solemn, sweet vibrations.” The poem ends with peace described in terms of the “beautiful…songs of the immortals” and their “holy melodies of love.”
The poem features many metaphors and similes, the most important of which is that found in stanza 1, which forms the foundation of the poem. The arms stacked “From floor to ceiling” are said to be “Like a huge organ.” In stanza 11, Christ’s voice of peace is in a simile likened to a “bell.” Finally, stanza 7 ends with a particularly well-chosen musical metaphor appropriate to organ stops, as Longfellow describes battle sounds as “The diapason of cannonade.”
Longfellow’s usual virtuosity at handling versification is evident here as well. Each quatrain contains lines that rhyme on the first and third lines as well as on the second and fourth lines, in an abab rhyme scheme. Yet Longfellow varies rhyme and the basic iambic pentameter lines effectively by adding an extra unaccented syllable at the end of the first and third lines of each stanza, thus creating a falling rhythm for the rhymes (“ceiling” with “pealing” in stanza 1, for example), resulting in the lines echoing a musical or lilting quality appropriate to the poem’s musical images.
Longfellow also varies the metrical system in order to reinforce the meanings of particular lines. In two stanzas (11 and 12), he begins the first lines by reversing the iambic expectations with the use of trochaic feet. In stanza 11, the initial trochaic accentual movement of “Down the” nicely mirrors the falling direction of the meaning of the words. Similarly, the trochaic “Peace! and,” which begins the first line of stanza 12, vividly highlights the poem’s content and resolution, which emphasizes peace as an alternative to war.
Bibliography
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