This classic poem of love lost features the most tragic, romantic, and famous star-crossed lovers since Romeo and Juliet.  The heartbreaking story of Gabriel and Evangeline, two Acadians separated during the British expulsion of the French settlers from Nova Scotia in 1755, has become one of the most enduring, endearing, and popular poems in American literature. The lovers' affection follows them when they are forced to flee their home, Evangeline to the land of southern Louisianna, Gabriel to other far-flung parts of the New World. Desperate to find one another, Evangeline searches valiantly for her love, while Gabriel, hoping to one day find his beloved, is - unknowingly - always one step ahead of her. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic marks a shift in his style from reflective lyrics and ballads to a longer tale in hexametric verse. The result will for eternity move those "who believe in affection that hopes, and endures, and is patient...who believe in the beauty and strength of a woman's devotion."