The Feast of the Virgins and Other Poems

In Short

Hanford Lennox Gordon’s The Feast of the Virgins and Other Poems is a wide-ranging, 1891 verse collection that spans native Northwestern lore, dramatic civil war narratives, and reflective, philosophical lyrics. Across its narrative poems, characters grapple with jealousy, duty, honorable love, and betrayal amidst the clash of cultures and armies. Gordon blends historical events, northern landscapes, and Ojibway and Dakota legends into rhythmic poetry. It stands as an authentic period piece, revealing how nineteenth-century frontier life, national trauma, and indigenous storytelling intersected in the popular literary imagination.

The Story

The volume moves through several lengthy narrative poems and shorter lyrical pieces, beginning with romantic and tragic legends set along the lakes and prairies of the upper Midwest. In the titular world of Dakota lore, the young chief Chaskè arrives at camp celebrated for his valor against the Crees. Despite his noble character, the dark warrior Red Cloud looks upon him with sullen jealousy when Wiwâstè smiles upon the guest. Behind the scenes, the sharp-eyed Hârpstinà observes the tensions and reports how Little Crow attempts to resolve his daughter's hand. Wiwâstè remains fierce in her devotion, declaring she would sooner plunge into the river than wed the dark Red Cloud. Through hardship, love, and seasonal turns, these native figures fulfill their destinies, eventually passing as snow-haired elders over the Shining Path to the Spirit-land, where untroubled hunting grounds and forever-ripe berries await.

In the parallel epic poem "Winona," the narrative turns to the banks of the Mississippi and the Falls of St. Anthony. Winona, the fleet-footed wild rose of her village, brings joy to her aging father Ta-té-psin. When the blue-eyed French explorer DuLuth prepares to depart, Winona pleads to travel with him to escape an unwanted marriage to the relentless Tamdóka, whom her stepmother favors. DuLuth pityingly declines due to the dangers of the journey, leaving Winona behind to wait through bitter winters. Weakened by cold and despair, she holds a silver crucifix to her chest, praying for her White Eagle's return while contemplating death over submission. In "The Legend of the Falls," another tragedy unfolds as the brave hunter Wanâta, renowned for his strength and skill, wins the heart of Anpétu-Sâpa. Yet as Wanâta gains political power and takes a second wife, the Scarlet Leaf, his original love is broken-hearted by lost devotion.

Beyond native legends, the collection shifts dramatically to the fiery trial of the American Civil War in poems like "Pauline" and military ballads. "Pauline" recounts a tragic romance torn apart by war, forged letters, and misunderstanding. A young law student named Paul mourns his lost Pauline, who committed suicide after being deceived by a counterfeit letter. Mourning her loss, Paul enters the Union Army. He describes the grand march of Hooker's army toward Chancellorsville, where a hundred thousand voices sing "John Brown's Body" across the valleys. Other frontier ballads describe bloody skirmishes with the Sioux, where pioneer husbands and wives defend their homes together. The collection closes with philosophical meditations on time, poetry, and mortality, where the speaker reflects on the fading nature of earthly fame and the eternal rhythm of nature.

How It Unfolds

A hero returns to camp The brave young chief Chaskè arrives at the Dakota village after slaying enemies on the northern plain. His presence sparks admiration among the tribe, but ignites deep jealousy in the sullen warrior Red Cloud.

Courting at the falls The maiden Winona grows up as the joy of her village by the roaring rapids, running faster than the prairie antelope. When the white explorer DuLuth prepares to head east, she begs to follow him to flee an abusive suitor.

Tragedy by false promises In the narrative poem "Pauline," the grieving lover Paul discovers a forged letter that led his beloved Pauline to take her own life on the eve of an arranged marriage. Broken by grief, he turns his heart toward the impending national conflict.

The grand army marches Union troops cross the river toward battle, their bayonets glittering in the summer sun. A swell of one hundred thousand voices echoes through the hills as the regiments sing "John Brown's Body" in solemn concert.

Sailing to the spirit-land After lives filled with love, war, and trial, aged lovers slip away hand in hand over the Bridge of Stars to the unblighted prairies of Paradise.

The People

• Chaskè: A brave, mild-faced young Hóhè chief who wears five eagle feathers for warriors slain in battle. He seeks honorable friendship and love, earning the admiration of the tribe while drawing the bitter envy of Red Cloud.
• Red Cloud (Mah-pí-ya Dúta): A proud, dark-visaged warrior wrapped in gloomy jealousy. He desires Wiwâstè and schemes to secure her hand, brooding in his teepee when she rejects him.
• Winona: The fleet-footed "Wild-Rose of the Prairies," devoted to her aging father Ta-té-psin. She seeks to escape the predatory suitor Tamdóka by declaring her love for the French explorer DuLuth, holding fast to her faith through winter starvation.
• Paul: An ambitious yet impoverished young man who aspires to master the law to prove worthy of his beloved. Devastated by a cruel forgery that causes Pauline's death, he seeks purpose amid the thunder of the Civil War.
• Pauline: A devoted, pious young woman who encourages Paul to pursue his education despite poverty. Driven to despair by a forged rejection letter, she chooses death over an unloving marriage forced upon her.

In Its Own Voice

"I had rather write one word upon the rock Of ages, than ten thousand in the sand."

In the opening lines of his title page, Gordon sets a solemn tone for his poetic ambition, choosing enduring substance over fleeting praise.

"A rumbling of deep thunders in the deep; The vast sea shuddered and the mountains groaned; Up-heaved the solid earth--the nether rocks Burst--and the sea--the earth--the echoing heavens Thundered infernal ruin."

Describing a sudden earthquake in Lisbon within "Pauline," the poet paints a sudden catastrophe that mirrors the shock of treason shattering the American nation in 1861.

"There is sweeter poetry in the hearts of men Than ever poet wrote or minstrel sung; For words are clumsy wings for burning thought."

In the reflective poem "Poetry," the author admits the inherent limits of verse, noting that human feeling always surpasses written language.

What It's Really About

Beneath its narrative accounts of prairie life and military marches, The Feast of the Virgins explores the tension between human devotion and inevitable loss. Gordon examines how jealousy, social duty, and deceit destroy private happiness, whether in a Dakota lodge or a New England home. The collection contrasts the fleeting, violent conflicts of men—such as Civil War skirmishes and intertribal warfare—with the enduring permanence of nature and the spirit world. Through detailed regional footnotes and native terminology, the book also attempts to record frontier mythologies before they were erased by white settlement, reflecting nineteenth-century anxieties about time, memory, and national identity.

Why Read It Today

Readers drawn to nineteenth-century American literature, Civil War poetry, and regional folklore will find much to appreciate in Gordon’s work. The collection offers a vivid window into how romantic Victorian poetic forms were adapted to describe Minnesota prairies, military campaigns, and native legends. It captures the rhythm of marching armies and frontier battles with memorable energy.

However, modern readers should approach the book aware of its period difficulties. Gordon writes with the unmistakable perspectives and biases of an 1890s settler author. His depictions of Native Americans alternate between romanticized idealism and period stereotypes, heavily framed by nineteenth-century views of vanishing tribes. The poetic style leans heavily on elevated, archaizing diction, elaborate rhyming meters, and dense classical references that can occasionally feel melodramatic or verbose. Yet for those interested in the cultural history of the American Midwest and the literary voice of a Civil War veteran, the volume remains a fascinating, deeply felt artifact of its era.