He meanwhile sat weary waiting
For the coming of Mondamin,
Till the shadows, pointing eastward,
Lengthened over field and forest,
Till the sun dropped from the heaven,
Floating on the waters westward,
As a red leaf in the Autumn
Falls and floats upon the water,
Falls and sinks into its bosom.
And the pleasant water-courses,
You could trace them through the valley,
By the rushing in the Spring-time,
By the alders in the Summer.
By the white fog in the Autumn,
By the black line in the Winter.
The simple music and rhythm of the poetic form is so delightful to children that they absorb whole passages into their memory without conscious effort. The mere re-reading of parts of the poem to little children under six years will often produce this happy result. A little girl of three years picked up, among others, this passage:—
Dark behind it rose the forest,
Rose the black and gloomy pine-trees,
Rose the firs with cones upon them;
Bright before it beat the water,
Beat the clear and sunny water,
Beat the shining Big-Sea-Water.
The repetitions of the same or similar passages, so common throughout the poem, is a successful appeal to children's favor. It gives the story a sort of Mother Goose flavor which is delightful.
While the story centres in Hiawatha, it has a variety of interesting personalities, giving expression to the striking features of this primitive society. Hiawatha's loved ones, Minnehaha and old Nokomis, stand first, and his chosen friends are next.
Two good friends had Hiawatha,
Singled out from all the others,
Bound to him in closest union,
And to whom he gave the right hand
Of his heart in joy and sorrow;
Chibiabos, the musician,
And the very strong man, Kwasind.
And these two, as I have told you,
Were the friends of Hiawatha,
Chibiabos, the musician,
And the very strong man, Kwasind.
Long they lived in peace together,
Spake with naked hearts together,
Pondering much and much contriving
How the tribes of men might prosper.
In connection with these persons is a most pleasing series of adventures, bringing to notice those heroic qualities which children love to witness. The very strong man, Kwasind, is a fitting companion in their thoughts to Samson and Hercules; and Chibiabos,
He the best of all musicians,
He the sweetest of all singers,