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. Henry Long Fellow

He begs in the first stanza to be told "not in mournful numbers" about life. He states here that life doesn't abruptly end when one dies; rather, it extends into another after life. Longfellow values this dream of the afterlife immensely and seems to say that life can only be lived truly if one believes that the soul will continue to live long after the body dies. The second stanza continues with the same belief in afterlife that is present in the first. Longfellow states this clearly when he writes, "And the grave is not its goal." Meaning that, life doesn't end for people simply because they die; there is always something more to be hopeful and optimistic for. Longfellow begins discussing how humans must live their lives in constant anticipation for the next day under the belief that it will be better than each day before it: "But to act that each to-morrow / Find us farther than to-day." In the subsequent stanza, Longfellow asserts that there is never an infinite amount of time to live, but art that is created during one's life can be preserved indefinitely and live on long after its creator dies. In the following stanzas, Longfellow likens living in the world to fighting on a huge field of battle.

He believes that people should lead heroic and courageous lives and not sit idle and remain ineffectual while the world rapidly changes around them: "Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!" His use of the word "strife" is especially interesting, since it clearly acknowledges that life is inherently difficult, is a constant struggle, and will never be easy. Longfellow then encourages everyone to have faith and trust the lord and not to rely on an unknown future to be stable and supportive. He advises people to seize the moments they have before them and act while thinking about their present situations. Longfellow continues his poem by citing the lives of great and important men who were able to lead

incredible lives and leave their marks. He views these men as role models for people who have yet to live their lives; Longfellow encourages his readers to leave their own "footprints on the sands of time" and become important.

The next stanza, the second to last in the poem, continues with this same point. It describes how successful people in the past have their lives copied, while those who failed serve as examples of ways of life to avoid. The final lines of the poem echo the beginning ones and offer perhaps the most important advice in a poem that is chocked full of it. Longfellow encourages all to work and try their hardest to make their lives great and accomplish as much

as they can.

Longfellow conveys his message the same way he did in the rest of the poem: by speaking directly to the reader and providing his reasoning for believing in something more, in something better. Longfellow ensures his followers that the rewards for what they achieve will come eventually-if not in this lifetime, then, certainly, in the next.
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A Psalm of Life is one of the best-knownpoems of Longfellow. It has served as one of the most inspirational poems in literature since it was written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Longfellow, a well loved American poet, is well known for A Psalm of Life and the lessons on life which it illustrates. The primary message or the Subject Matter of the poem, is that Life is beautiful. The lyrical lines and inspiring message of the poem has been handed down through the years, bringing hope. Here is a glance -in my point of view-explanation about the poem; At the 1st stanza, Longfellow wants to tells us that life is not an empty dream, do not waste it out. 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. even it in a mournful number, life is not an empty dream. Longfellow try to stress his says. He is full of spirit and optimist, he tries to influence readers to feel the way he feel by read this poem. At the second stanza, Longfellow forceful philosophy suggested to the direction of his hymn to
action:

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. in this part, he gives us a spirit, a reason why he doesnt believe that life is an empty dream. Longfellow advised (intention) that we are all here on Earth to live for today rather than waiting for death to take us. At the third stanza, I got Longfellow wants us to know that whatever could be happened in life; Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us farther than to-day. and above all things that happened, whether it is joyful or sorrow, we have to act, its not necessary what is the end of the journey in life, but the long road to the end, how we get through it is the most precious thing. And find ourselves are better and get better. At the fourth stanza, it is about the humanity. Even we said that we are tough and brave enough,
but when it come to the death we still feel scare.

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. Longfellows audience as a popular writer was assured death is depicted as bedtime for a cranky child. At the fifth stanza, Longfellow advised us that even in adversity we are to persevere and never give
up.

In the worlds broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, world is a battle field, we have to fight for our intention and our aspiration. When we are inside of it so we have to be indeed. Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife! talk about principle. Do not follow all of the people think. Make your own principle. And be a good man. At the sixth stanza, Longfellow said that we must live a life. Trust no-future, do not captivated by
the past. But live and love your days with a whole of your heart and guide of God.

Trust no Future, howeer pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,act in the living Present! Heart within, and God oerhead! Longfellow assuredly had personal knowledge on the subject; suffering through the deaths of two wives. Following the death of his first wife his second wife also died tragically many years later. At the seventh stanza, I think Longfellow want to convince us to be optimist and beautify the days; Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And at this line, we must be brave, to go on life and leave the past And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; At the eight stanza, Longfellow said that we, in time will get that people around us in a bad
situation. It can touch our heart. But, still we have to go on.

Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing oer lifes solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. At the last stanza, Longfellow want us to move on, still in spirit, act with heart. Also with patience. Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait. The message in A Psalm for Life clearly illustrates that According to Longfellow, time is too swift to wait for death because theres so many thing we can get in life, life is beautiful. SENSE DEVICE

1.

Simile is generally the comparison of two things essentially unlike, on the basis of a resemblance in one aspect.

Ex: Still, like muffled drums (4th stanza, line 3) Be not like dumb(5th stanza, line 3)

Metaphorical image is an analogy identifying one object with another and ascribing to the first object one more of the quality of the second. Ex: Life is but an empty dream! (1st stanza, line 2) soul is dead that slumbers (1st stanza, line 3)

nice poem.. it will help me to change some things in my life | Posted on 2009-11-01 | by a guest .: :. i love this poem it is the best poem i have ever read and when i have a chance to read this poem i will be moved very much | Posted on 2009-09-16 | by a guest .: :. this poem is absolutely amazing...it sends out a wonderful message...and is the only poem that we've read in english class, that i can actually understand and relate to! | Posted on 2009-08-27 | by a guest .: :. Live your life to the fullest. Dream big. The poem can be simplified in those two sentences. ^^^ | Posted on 2009-07-15 | by a guest .: :. this is amazing... this peom is beautiful and incredibly true... i envy this poet's skills | Posted on 2009-06-04 | by a guest

.: :. I think this poem is the best remedy for those who are so consumed by the worries and uncertainties of life. For those seeking a way out or for those trying to find simpler and more manageable meaning in life. | Posted on 2009-05-11 | by a guest