Crisp – hard, crunchy
Tan – sunburned, dark
Owes – be in debt, oblised
Chaff – ash
Sparks – fire
Preach – sermon, homily
Paradise - heaven
Bellow ⇒ 
Sledge ⇒ 
Chaff ⇒ 
Stanza 1:
Meaning:
Here the poet talks about a person, the blacksmith of course, who is strong and he is standing under the chestnut tree. His hands are stronger than usual and the poet uses a simile to compare his hands to iron bands in the last line.
Stanza 2:
Meaning:
In the second stanza, Longfellow gives us a further description of the person (blacksmith). He tells us that the blacksmith has long, black and crisp hairs. The next thing is his face which is tan (brownish). After the first two lines, the next four lines are very important with respect to the meanings and connotations. The blacksmith’s brow is wet with ‘honest sweat’ and he earns only what he can. The poet is hinting at the ‘honesty’ and ‘satisfaction’ of the blacksmith. He does not borrow from anyone because he earns as per his capacity and does not demand more. He is not greedy! And a person who does not owe to anyone can live a life happy and glee! The expression ‘looks the whole world in the face’ means to tell the readers that a person who is honest, not greedy and does not borrow unnecessarily (or not at all) can be equal with everyone in the terms of treatment. He won’t need to flatter someone!
Stanza 3:
Meaning:
These lines are all praise for the blacksmith’s labour that he does from the morning to the evening until the sun sets. The sounds of his sledge sound like the village bell. A person can always hear his bellows (the set-up to heat the iron to be able to forge it). And this goes on every day…
Stanza 4:
Meaning:
In this stanza, Longfellow tells the readers about the school children who (out of curiosity and admiration) love to see the blacksmith’s work through the door which remains open. Children love to see the bellows which produce sounds like roaring. Children also love to see the sparks which keep flying and produce a scene like the flying husks during the threshing procedure.
Stanza 5:
Meaning:
In this stanza, the poet is relaxed and he is telling us about the soft side in the heart of this strong blacksmith who goes to attend the church every Sunday with his family. The blacksmith hears carefully the preacher’s message; he listens to the prayer with joy and also loves to listen to his daughter’s voice who plays in the village choir. And all this Sunday episode, the poet says, makes the blacksmith happy and satisfied!
Stanza 6:
Meaning:
The poet continues the stanza from where he left off in the last one. Longfellow tells us that the Blacksmith feels that the voice of his daughter is just like her mother – his wife (who has died) as if she is singing in the heaven. The blacksmith thinks about his wife in the grave and tears flow out of his eyes. He wipes the tears with his ‘hard and rough’ hands. In these lines, the poet seems to suggest that the outlook of the blacksmith is hardened but he owns a soft heart which has emotions!
Stanza 7:
Meaning:
This stanza and the last one after it are very important. As I told earlier, Longfellow is a person who is a poet as well as a preacher who always tends to tell us the right path to go ahead. The blacksmith becomes his vehicle in this poem to tell us what should be the ‘structure’ of a happy and satisfied life. The blacksmith spends his life working hard, being happy and being sad at times. He keeps moving ahead in his life as each morning he starts something new and ends it with the evening. Every day he works and every night he rests fully. The hard work he does in the morning gives him the sleep of calm in the night. The blacksmith, to the poet, is an ideal person!
Stanza 8:
Meaning:
And this is the last stanza of the poem which by all means is the most important one. The poet thanks the blacksmith for the ‘lesson’ that he has taught to the poet (and then the poet taught to the readers). Longfellow tells that we should also learn the lesson of hard work from the village blacksmith and never shy away from determination and labour which will eventually build our fortunes. This world is just like the anvil on which we have to shape our deeds and thoughts to make ourselves a better person day by day…
CONCLUSION:
The poem The Village Blacksmith is a beautiful, purposeful, insightful and meaningful poem. It tells us about the life of a blacksmith who becomes the metaphor for a purposeful life. We must learn from him – his hard work and satisfaction. We can always make our lives happy; we can always make ourselves stronger!
EXERCISE:
A. Answer these questions.
1. Which words are used to describe the strength of the blacksmith?
He is mighty man with large and sinewy hands. His muscles are strong. He has sinewy hands like iron bands. These are the words to express his strength.
2. Which of the five senses does the third stanza concentrate on? List some examples.
Here in the third stanza we find the sense of hearing is much stressed upon. So we can hear his bellows blow; we can hear his heavy sledge and sexton ringing the village bell.
3. In the poem, what is the blacksmith's swinging of his sledge compared to?
The blacksmith's swinging of his sledge is compared to a sexton ringing the village bell.
4. What does the blacksmith do on Sundays? How does he feel when he hears his daughter sing?
On Sunday the goes to church and sits among his boys. When he hears his daughter sing, it makes his heart rejoice and he remembers her mother's voice.
B. Think and answer.
1. What is the poet's message in his poem? Is this message relevant today?
The blacksmith teaches us a valuable lesson how to live our lives. Whatever work he does, be it hard, sorrow or joyful he carries on his work. He is very honest and owes to noone. He is simple and rejoices when his daughter sings. His happiness lies in small ordinary things and that is beauty of his life.
2. Which images in the poem strengthen/ illuminate the poet's message?
"Toiling, rejoicing, sorrowing, onward through life he goes; each morning sees some task begin, each evening sees it close; something attempted, something done, has a night's repose." That is the simplicity of his life. And he feels grateful for his family, children, his work and his lifestyle he carries forward with complacency and without any complication.
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