The Village Blacksmith
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
1807 to 1882
Drag the words to the correct places to complete the poem. To reset the game, click on the "Reset Game" button located below the poem. This will clear all the words you've placed in the blanks, returning them to the word bank and resetting the poem to its original state with empty blanks.
Under a spreading chestnut tree
The village smithy stands;
The Smith, a mighty man is he,
With ______ and sinewy hands;
And the muscles of his brawny ______
Are strong as iron bands.
His hair is crisp, and black, and long,
His face is like ______ tan;
His brow is wet with honest sweat,
He ______ whate'er he can
And looks the whole world in ______ face
For he owes not any man.
Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can ______ his bellows blow;
You can hear him swing his ______ sledge,
With measured beat and slow,
Like a ______ ringing the village bell,
When the evening sun ______ low.
And children coming home from school
Look ______ at the open door;
They love to see the ______ forge,
And hear the bellows roar,
And catch ______ burning sparks that fly
Like chaff from a threshing floor.
He goes on Sunday to the church
and sits ______ his boys;
He hears the parson pray and preach.
______ hears his daughter's voice
singing in the village choir,
______ it makes his heart rejoice.
It sounds to him ______ her mother's voice,
Singing in Paradise!
He needs must ______ of her once more,
How in the grave ______ 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 ______ begin,
Each evening sees it close;
Something attempted, ______ 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 ______ must be wrought;
Thus on its sounding anvil shaped
Each burning deed and thought!