Where the saying "wreck of the Hesperus" comes from

Reviewed by Sue Young, 2003-10-30

Many people, young and old, have used the phrase "It(or you)look like the wreck of the Hesperus" and after hearing it from so many people(who would say that but not know what the Hesperus was), I spent time on the web trying to find out. Learning it was a poem by Longfellow, my library had a copy and I read it. It is a sad tale of a shipwreck, written with such vivid detail that leaves you in awe of the work. I would suggest to the reader, if you, too, always wondered about this old saying, you find the book which contains the poem,and see for yourself how gripping a tale it is.