The Belfry of Bruges and Other Poems (1845) is a collection by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Inspired in part by his travels in Europe, it includes The Belfry of Bruges, The Arsenal at Springfield, The Bridge and the short lyric The Arrow and the Song.
The book
Longfellow published this collection at the end of 1845 (dated 1846), after the success of his first two books of verse. It gathers poems written over several years, many of them memories of journeys in Belgium, Germany and Holland.
Its title poem describes the medieval belfry of Bruges, its carillon and the history of Flanders that the tower seems to have watched.
Peace and memory
The Arsenal at Springfield, inspired by a visit to the armoury at Springfield, Massachusetts, with his wife Fanny, compares the racks of guns to the pipes of an organ and pleads for peace. The Bridge is a meditation on loss and on the troubles of others, written on the bridge between Boston and Cambridge.
Other poems recall Nuremberg and the poet Hans Sachs, the old town of Dürer and the craftsmen of the Middle Ages.
The Arrow and the Song
The Arrow and the Song, two short stanzas, compares a song sent out into the world to an arrow shot into the air: both seem lost, and both are found again later, the song in the heart of a friend.
Its brevity and simple music made it one of Longfellow's most anthologised poems, especially in collections for children.
Anecdotes
An organ of guns
Longfellow wrote The Arsenal at Springfield after his wife Fanny remarked, during a visit in 1843, that the rows of gleaming muskets looked like the pipes of an organ. The image became the opening of the poem.
The bells of Bruges
Longfellow visited Bruges in 1842, during a journey to Europe for his health. He climbed the old belfry, and its tower and carillon inspired the title poem, which he wrote soon after.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Belfry of Bruges about?
The poet climbs the medieval belfry of Bruges and, listening to its chimes, imagines the centuries of Flemish history the tower has seen.
When was the collection published?
At the end of 1845, with the date 1846 on its title page.
What is The Arrow and the Song?
A short poem of two stanzas comparing a song to an arrow: both seem lost once sent away, and both are found again long after.