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Poem
August 29, 1845
New Hampshire Statesman And State Journal
Concord, Merrimack County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem 'LIFE.' (A Psalm of Life) rejects the notion of life as an empty dream, emphasizing its reality and earnestness. It urges action, achievement, and drawing inspiration from great men to leave a positive legacy, while confronting mortality with resolve to labor and wait.
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LIFE.
H. W. LONGFELLOW
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!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time;
Footsteps, 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.
H. W. LONGFELLOW
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!
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime;
And, departing, leave behind us
Footsteps on the sands of time;
Footsteps, 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.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
Death Mourning
What keywords are associated?
Life Earnest
Soul Action
Great Men
Footsteps Time
Labor Wait
What entities or persons were involved?
H. W. Longfellow
Poem Details
Title
Life.
Author
H. W. Longfellow
Form / Style
Trochaic Tetrameter With Rhyme
Key Lines
Life Is Real! Life Is Earnest!
Be A Hero In The Strife!
Lives Of Great Men All Remind Us / We Can Make Our Lives Sublime;
Let Us, Then, Be Up And Doing, / With A Heart For Any Fate;