9174fa Psalm of Life Poem

A Psalm of Life
Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is dead that slumbers,
And things are not what they seem.
Life is real! Life is earnest!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
Was not spoken of the soul.
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find us farther than to-day.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
In the worlds broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!
Trust no Future, howeer pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act, act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God oerhead!
Lives of great men all remind us

We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing oer lifes solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
A Psalm of Life, a lyric of religious emotion was published in October of 1838.

This poem is taken from Henry Wadsworth Longfellows first volume of poems. A
psalm is a sacred song, an invocation to mankind to follow the path of
righteousness. A Psalm of Life is a blow to the pessimistic attitude of taking life
lightly. The poet encourages his readers not to waste life, that life is short and is
going to end soon. The poem highlights the views of the poet about how to live life
and that there is only one life and therefore, we should make a good use of it.
The poem consists of nine stanzas, each containing four lines. The poet begins the
poem by asking us not to tell him in sorrowful verses that life is an empty,
meaningless dream. According to Longfellow, a person who spends his sleeping is
already dead. Such a worthless life misguides other human beings. Finally,
irresponsibility does not reflect the true human nature.
The second stanza begins with two phrases, Life is real! Life is earnest! The poet
uses an encouraging tone to say that life is real and serious. Life should not be
treated lightly. Moreover, the poet says that death is not the ultimate goal; life does
not end with death. Dust thou art, to dust returnest is not applicable to the soul,
this quotation is applicable only to the body.
The third stanza of A Psalm of Life is about the way of living. The poet tells us that
our way of leaving should be only based on enjoyment or mourning. The aim of
life is to act wisely each day so that we can make a better future.
Stanza four is about the work assigned to us and about the time which is flying.
Art is long, and Time is fleeting means that the work given to us is too long and
time-consuming. The poet encourages that under such situations, our hearts still
remain stout and brave and are beating funeral marches to the grave, like the drums
covered with cloth. The message that the poet wants to convey through this stanza
is that one should lose courage under any circumstance.
In the fifth stanza, the poet compares the world to a battlefield as well as a
temporary camp for troops. The humans are compared with troops. He asks all the
people to live and fight their battles within the given period of time. The poet asks
us not to be like the dumb cattle which is driven by others, because of its lack of
direction and determination.
The poet asks us not to trust on the future even if it seems pleasant in the sixth
stanza of A Psalm of Life. The past incidents must be forgotten away. The aim in
life should be to act courageously at present and not to lose faith in God.
Lives of great men remind us that we can make our own lives noble and elevated
that is we can reach great heights. Finally when we die, we can leave behind us our
footprints (noble deeds) for others to follow our path.
The noble deeds which we leave behind should be such that an unhappy and
shipwrecked man, sailing over the sea of life, would be confident and take courage,
following our example.
In the final stanza of A Psalm of Life, the poet asks us to begin at once with
courage without thinking about the consequences of the actions. He asks us to
achieve our aim and learn to work hard and wait patiently for rewards.
About The Poet:
H.W Longfellow (February 27, 1807- March 24, 1882) was an American poet and
educator. He taught at Bowdoin College and Harvard University. After retiring
from Harvard University, he devoted himself completely to writing. His best
known poems are Songs of Hiawatha, Evangeline, Hesperus, Excelsior and A
Psalm of Life.

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A Psalm of Life

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,

Lives of great men all remind us

A Psalm of Life, a lyric of religious emotion was published in October of 1838.

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