A Psalm of Life

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BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

What The Heart Of The Young Man Said To The Psalmist.

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 world’s broad field of battle,

In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like dumb, driven cattle!
Be a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!

Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,— act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!

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 o’er life’s 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.

Trisha August 13, 2013 H.W.Longfellow, ICSE, ICSE Poems, ICSE/ISCE, IX - X, Poem Analysis (by Poet), Poem IX-X, Tamil Nadu

The title of A Psalm of Life is an appropriate one. A psalm is an invocation to mankind to follow the
path of the righteousness. Here, the speaker advises people to be heroes in their lives. He asks them
to lie in the present, without thinking about the past or the future.

A poem teaching a moral lesson is called a didactic poem. A Psalm of Life is a didactic poem. The
poet’s task in the poem is to instruct and guide, to inspire and modify. The poem teaches basic
human values and lays out a foundation for a prosperous, ethical life.

STYLE:

Form and structure:

The poem consists of nine stanzas of four lines each. The poem has regular rhyming pattern. Each
stanza follows the rhyme scheme abab. In every stanza, the first line rhymes with the third line and
the second line with the fourth.

Allusion:
Allusion is a reference to other works or cultures in prose and poetry. H.W Longfellow has used
allusions to convey his message in the poem.

‘Tell me not, in mournful numbers.’

In the above line, numbers refer to the verses in the Bible.

‘Dust thou art, to dust thou returnest’

The above line too has a Biblical reference.

FIGURES OF SPEECH:
Similes: It is a figure of speech in which a likeness between two different things is stated using the
words ‘like’ or ‘as.’ Examples of similes in A Psalm of Life are,

1. Still, like muffled drums, are beating

2. Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

METAPHORS:
Metaphor is that figure of speech where comparison of two different things are implied but not
clearly stated. Examples of metaphor in the poem are,
1. Life is but an empty dream.
2. Soul id dead that slumbers…
3. Art is long and Time is fleeting

ALLITERATION:
Alliteration is the close repetition of the consonant sounds at the beginning of words to facilitate
narration. Examples of alliteration in the poem are,

1. Grave is not its goal

2. Find us further
3. Dumb driven cattle
4. Learn to labour
5. Dust thou art, to dust thou returnest.

PARALLELISM:
Parallelism is used when the speaker says
1. Life is real! Life is earnest!
2. Still achieving still pursuing.

H.W Longfellow points out that one has a duty to make this world a better place to live in. A Psalm
of Life is a whole collection of moral principles to be followed by all the people. The principles listed
by the poem are enumerated as follows,-

*Life has a serious mission.

*Life does not end with death.
*We have a destiny irrespective of our joys and sorrows.
*Time is too short for our long mission.
*Become great by emulating great men.
*Learn to labor and wait for results.
*Act now, in the living present.
*Be a hero in the struggle of life.

STANZA 1

"Tell me not, in mournful numbers. "

- He explains that he does not want to be told the length of his life.

" Life is but an empty dream!"

- Dreams are normally fantasy and far fetched. He tries to explain that life isn't an empty dream. That it
can truly be great and it is real and has meaning.

" For the soul is dead that slumbers, and things are not what they seem."
- Even when you are alive and awake does not mean that you are living. Someone that does not take
part in life.

STANZA 2

" life is real! Life is earnest! "

- earnest = a sign of promise of what is to come.

" and the grave is not it's goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest,"

- We are not meant to live and die, we are meant to be remembered. ( after life. )

STANZA 3

" Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, is our destined end of way; but to act, that each tomorrow find us
farther than today."

- We are unaware of how we will end our lives. In the end it is not about what we have acquired or how
much we have, it is about knowing that who we are now, is better than where we started.

STANZA 4

Art is long, and time is fleeting, and our hearts, though stout and brave, still, like muffled drums, are
beating."

- That we have little time on this Earth. That even though our bodies may grow weak, it is our hearts
that will remain forever strong.
STANZA 5

"In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in
the strife!"

- This life contains a lot of struggles but we must remember that it is temporary and the goal is a much
better place, so be smart while you are here. Stand out.

STANZA 6

" Trust no future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury it's dead! Act - act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o'erhead! "

- Simply live in the present. Rid of anything holding you back or anything making you fearful of moving
on. Live with the idea that after this life there is something greater.

STANZA 7

" Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;"

- Live a life that will be remembered.

STANZA 8

" a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, shall take heart again."

- Not only live a life that others will remember, but live so great that when others hear about you, you
have set an example.

STANZA 9

" Let us, then, be up and doing, with a heat for any fate; still achieving , still pursuing, Learn to labor and
to wait. "

- Go out and live life with the idea that your time is indefinite. Work your butt off and be a good person
and be patient. ( The after life holds something much greater. )

CLOSING COMMENT

When it is your time, will you be able to say that you are content with the life you have set out to live?