ion implies that he was
personally acquainted with the six Gothic languages of Northern
Europe--Anglo-Saxon, Icelandish, Danish, Swedish, German, and Dutch--and
the four Latin languages of the South of Europe--French, Italian,
Spanish, and Portuguese. The mere work of compiling so large a volume in
double columns of these ten languages was something formidable, and he
had reason to be grateful to his friend Professor Felton, who, being a
German student, as well as a Greek scholar, compiled for him all the
biographical notes in the book. It is needless to say that the selection
is as good as the case permitted or as the plan of the book allowed, and
the volume has always maintained its place of importance in libraries.
Many of the translations were made expressly for it, especially in the
supplement; among these being Platen's "Remorse," Reboul's "The Angel
and Child," and Malherbe's "Consolation." It is to be remembered that
Longfellow's standard of translation was very high and that he always
maintained, according to Mrs. Fields, that Americans, French, and
Germans had a greater natural gift for it than the English on account of
the greater insularity of the latter's natures.{75} It is also to be
noted that he sometimes failed to find material for translation where
others found it, as, for instance, amid the endless beauty of the Greek
Anthology, which he called "the most melancholy of books with an odor of
dead garlands about it. Voices from the grave, cymbals of Bacchantes,
songs of love, sighs, groans, prayers,--all mingled together. I never
read a book that made me sadder."{76}

His fame at this time was widely established, yet a curious indication
of the fact that he did not at once take even Cambridge by storm, as a
poet, is in a letter from Professor Andrews Norton, father of the
present Professor Charles E. Norton, to the Rev. W. H. Furness of
Philadelphia. The latter had apparently applied to Mr. Norton for advice
as to a desirable list of American authors from whom to make some
literary selections, perhaps in connection with an annual then edited by
him and called "The Diadem." Professor Norton, as one of the most
cultivated Americans, might naturally be asked for some such counsel. In
replying he sent Mr. Furness, under date of January 7, 1845, a list of
fifty-four eligible authors, among whom Emerson stood last but one,
while Longfellow was not included at all. He then appended a
supplementary list of twent