The Courtship of Miles Standish

Over the Christmas break I read a lovely little piece by Longfellow called "The Courtship of Miles Standish." To preface, I found a book of poetry when I was at home over Thanksgiving and luckily spent some time savoring bits and pieces of the book over Christmas holiday, since my mom won't let me have it. This story was one of the treasures I found in the midst of the poetry book and some great spats of Christmastime reading.

This little story is good. It's about a man named John Alden who is in love with a woman named Priscilla. John's friend (and master/superior) Miles expresses interest in Priscilla, forcing John to consider the implications of his feelings, which it seems he has stashed away for quite some time. John's character development is rather remarkable. He develops from a bit of a boy, scared to tell a woman how he feels and nearly willing to travel back to England to avoid confronting his affections head-on after he hears of Miles' interest, to later telling Priscilla what a wonderful, winsome woman she is as the two sit chatting in her home. I love the way that (early on) Priscilla stands up to John, who is afraid to express his affections for her, basically telling him that he should give himself more credit and speak up. Additionally, she demands manhood from the men that pursue her, saying to John in regards to Miles' lack of involvement: "If I am not worth the wooing, I surely am not worth the winning." That's a good word. Priscilla is basically saying that if a man isn't willing to pursue her, then she isn't really interested in marrying him. Meanwhile, I also love the fact that John is a "diamond in the rough," so to say, and Priscilla notices it. Many a woman might go for the Miles Standish type, bold, strong, (probably handsome too) and well-acclaimed, but Priscilla sees a gem in John. She sees a man of great character, a man who will not only protect her and make a household but also esteem her and share life with her. Priscilla is willing to wait for this kind of man to pursue her, and the two are a good fit, both for each other. The story ends with a wedding, and I love the following lines near the closing of the tale-lines that recognize both the goodness and hardness of marriage and this present life:

Meanwhile the bridegroom went forth and stood with the bride at the doorway,
Breathing the perfumed air of that warm and beautiful morning.
Touched with autumnal tints, but lonely and sad in the sunshine,
Lay extended before them the land of toil and privation;
There were the graves of the dead, and the barren waste of the sea-shore,
There the familiar fields, the groves of pine, and the meadows;
But to their eyes transfigured, it seemed as the Garden of Eden,
Filled with the presence of God, whose voice was the sound of the ocean.

I'm happy to say that this was a worthy read and I look forward to future visits home with my head buried in a book of poetry, late at night when everyone else is asleep. You never know what you might find stashed away in the attic bedroom, which is where I found this book. Happy to know that someone else in my family long ago enjoyed this book too, as the pages are well-worn with age and use.