To help me understand what you're asking, please provide more context. For example:
* What poem are you referring to? (e.g., "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere", "Evangeline", "The Song of Hiawatha")
* What specific phrase or idea are you looking for clarification on? (e.g., "The tide rises, the tide falls", "the village smithy", "the arrow of time")
Once you provide more context, I can help you understand what is meant by the phrase within Longfellow's poem.