The Courtship of Miles Standish

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"The Courtship of Miles Standish" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is a narrative poem published in 1858. Set in 1621 Plymouth Colony, it tells the story of a love triangle among three Mayflower passengers: Miles Standish, Priscilla Mullins, and John Alden. Longfellow claimed the tale came from family tradition—he descended from Alden and Mullins—but scholars debate whether the romantic story is fact or fiction. The poem became wildly popular in nineteenth-century America, selling 25,000 copies within two months.