ANALYSIS OF “PSALM OF LIFE”

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 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.

Henry Long Fellow

A Psalm of Life is one of the best-known poems 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 1^st 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 doesn’t 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, it’s 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.”

→ Longfellow’s 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 world’s 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, howe’er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,–act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God o’erhead!”

→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 o’er life’s 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 there’s 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… (4^th stanza, line 3)

Be not like dumb…(5^th 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! (1^st stanza, line 2)

…soul is dead that slumbers (1^st stanza, line 3)

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