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The Village Blacksmith

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Under a spreading chestnut-tree
The village smithy stands;
The smith, a mighty man is he,
With large and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny arms
Are strong as iron bands.

His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like the tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He earns whate'er he can,
And looks the whole world in the face,
For he owes not any man.

Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his heavy sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a sexton ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun is low.

And children coming home from school
Look in at the open door;
They love to see the flaming forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch the burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing-floor.

He goes on Sunday to the church,
And sits among his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach,
He hears his daughter's voice,
Singing in the village choir,
And it makes his heart rejoice.

It sounds to him like her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must think of her once more,
How in the grave she lies;
And with his hard, rough hand he wipes
A tear out of his eyes.

Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Village Blacksmith

Toiling,—rejoicing,—sorrowing,
Onward through life he goes;
Each morning sees some task begin,
Each evening sees it close
Something attempted, something done,
Has earned a night's repose.

Thanks, thanks to thee, my worthy friend,
For the lesson thou hast taught!
Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought.

Folk Ways

The village blacksmith wasn't the only one hard at work at his forge in January in an earlier century. January was the best time of year for the early American farmer to get blacksmithing work done in his own forge barn. With the growing season over, the harvest long since gathered in, and the weather outside now unaccommodating for other modes of work, he turned his attention toward preparing tools for the next year's farming season.

Anything from nails to plowshares were potential products of the early American farmer's handiwork. He might turn to the services of the village blacksmith for some tasks but frequently he would make and repair his own implements.

All through January, while the wind outside was howling and the snow was falling, inside the forge barn the warm glow of the forge fire rarely went out.

 Continue Reading
Pennsylvania Dutch barn star

Question:

"Thus at the flaming forge of life
Our fortunes must be wrought;"

What is a "forge?"

A forge is a space used by a blacksmith to apply heat to a piece of metalwork, preparing the object to then be hammered into its final useful shape.

Traditionally, a forge took the form of a masonry hearth or a metal basin that held charcoal or coal and to which oxygen could be applied with a bellows or a blower in order to bring fire up to an appropriate temperature for working the metal.

 Answer

Did You Know?

Anvils come in many different sizes. It's a best practice to match the size of your hammer to the size of your anvil.

A 50:1 anvil to hammer weight ratio is a good average rule of thumb for forging work. For example, a 3 pound hammer would be a good match for a 150 pound anvil.

Idiom of the Day:

hammering on cold iron

This idiom is the antonymn to the corollary idiom that recommends one "strike while the iron is hot." "Hammering on cold iron" suggests that someone is exerting effort on a task when the conditions for accomplishing that task are unfavorable.

EXAMPLE
A teacher attempting to teach an unmotivated student who is disinterested in learning is hammering on cold iron.

The Back to Basics - Simple Living channel has many beautiful videos about blacksmithing and living the simple life.
Essential Craftsman shares lots of great wisdom about tools and the trades. If you haven't already subscribed to Essential Craftsman, you need to.
Old Sturbridge Village is the largest living history museum in New England. There's much to learn about the old way of village life in America here.
The Vigo County Parks & Recreation Department has done great work creating "Pioneer Village" to preserve a collection of historic buildings. Check out the great videos they've posted.

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