English Literature for Lawyers

Module- 3
Literary Text (Poetry)

Lecture- 26-27

Topic

A Psalm of Life by H.W. Longfellow

About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow versed in several European languages and was a Harvard scholar.
He was quite heavily influenced by Romanticism and made a name as a novelist and poet with
works like Hyperion, Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha, and Poems on Slavery. He was also
popular for his translation of The Divine Comedy by Dante.
Longfellow did produce some of his best work, such as a collection of poems including Hymn to
the Night and A Psalm of Life, which gained him immediate popularity and Voices of the Night.
Other publications followed, such as containing “The Wreck of the Hesperus” and the “Village
Blacksmith”, Ballads and Other Poems.

Introduction
A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is an inspirational poem that urges the readers
and audience to attain a positive attitude towards life and live the present at fullest instead of
regretting unchangeable past or dreaming about uncertain future.
In the poem, the poet disapproves of the ideals of those who consider life as miserable,
meaningless, and waste it. Instead, he asks everybody to have a set goal and work hard to achieve
it. In this way, one will be able to live in the hearts of people even after one’s death.
The poem is divided into nine stanzas having four lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is
ABAB.

Meaning
Before moving on to the summary, let us try to understand the title of this poem. The poem is
entitled A Psalm of Life. Psalm means a sacred song or hymn or prayer (usually contained in
religious books).

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In this poem, psalm means a lesson or advice (which is of course not a religious one) in the form
of a song. A Psalm of Life means ‘an inspirational song of life’.
Stanza 1
At the very beginning of the poem, the poet disapproves of the idea put in
the mournful numbers i.e. sad poems that life is nothing but an empty dream i.e. hollow and
meaningless like the dream. For him, the soul of those who slumber i.e. sleep (or in other words
those who consider life as a meaningless dream) is dead. And what such a person may see is not
the reality. Or in other words what the pessimists and those who curse the life see is different from
the reality.
Stanza 2
According to the poet, life is real and earnest (passionate) and graves i.e. dying (as the pessimists
believe) is not the goal of life. One who said that dust thou art (from dust you are born) and to dust
returns (to dust we have to go i.e. we will have to die) was not a man with a purpose.
Note that this line is often quoted by the religious persons and the poet is highly critical of them.
For him, such people are without goal and passion. They do not have a reason to live life.
Stanza 3
According to the poet, neither enjoyment nor sorrow is one’s destined end or way i.e., everlasting
or the end goal. These two emotions are temporary but part of life. One should never take them
seriously.
Instead, one should make a balance between the two and start working hard so that each to-
morrow i.e., the coming days would be far better than the present one.
Stanza 4
Art here means work. Fleeting means running away. According to the poet, time is running fast
and the work is too much.
Though our hearts are stout (strong) and brave yet like muffled (not loud) drums they beat funeral
marches to the graves i.e., keep thinking about death. This fear or thought of death cannot be
forgotten.

Stanza 5
In the fifth stanza, the poet considers the world as a vast battlefield. And we humans are in the
bivouac of life i.e., temporary camps. The situation is of “do or die”. We do not have any other
option. Hence on the battlefield, we should not be dumb (empty-headed) and driven cattle (a
domestic animal) which is like a slave. We should never be like such an animal. Instead, we should
be a hero in the strife i.e., battle and try our best.

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Stanza 6
The poet says that we should not trust the future i.e., we should never think of a better future all
the time and let the dead past (which is gone) bury its dead i.e., take away bad thoughts with
it. Instead, we should act now – in present. For that, we should believe in the heart
within (ourselves) and have faith in God who is with us (overhead).
Stanza 7
According to the poet, the story of great men all tells us that we can also make our lives
sublime i.e., awesome. After departing (dying), they have left their footprints (inspirational
stories) on the sand of time (history). Thus, are still alive and inspiring the coming generations.
Stanza 8
The poet urges us to make similar footprints i.e., make our lives inspiring so that someday another
person who comes sailing over life’s solemn main (from the ocean of sorrows). He may
be forlorn (alone) and shipwrecked (sufferer). Our stories will inspire him to give up dejection and
begin his journey towards success again.
Stanza 9
In the final stanza, the poet says that let us be up (get ready) and start working with a heart (full
dedication) without thinking of fate (success or failure). We should have a belief in ourselves and
a goal to achieve. We should be always working hard to pursue the goal. We should have learned
to work hard and to keep patience.

Summary and Analysis of “A Psalm of Life” By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A Psalm of Life Analysis: “A Psalm of Life” was written by the famed New England poet and
professor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. First published in New York in 1838 literary
magazine The Knickerbocker, the poem was inspired by a conversation between Longfellow and
a fellow professor.
A Psalm of Life Summary
The young man refuses to accept that life is “an empty dream” or that the soul is dead while
speaking from his “heart.”
Instead, he says that life is indeed true and real, and that death is not the final goal of life; the soul
does lives on and not turn to dust. We are meant to go beyond and act on mere happiness or sorrow.
We still move towards death, even though we are brave. Thus, we must be heroic and seize the life
we have, be much more than just dumb beasts. We ought to be wary of the future and the past and
instead act and live within the present.

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When we look at the great men’s lives, we can see that it is possible to live with meaning and that
we leave our “footprints on the sands of Tim” when we depart. It is completely possible that some
other person who is toiling mournfully may take heart and see our footprints. Knowing this, we
should be hopeful and be prepared for anything; we should endeavour to achieve and pursue, as
well as “learn to labor and to wait.”

A Psalm of Life Analysis per Stanza

Stanza 1 – The View of an Anti-Pessimistic
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.
With the life and goals that deny the pessimistic view of the Psalmist, the beginning of the poem
starts. The poet does refuse to believe in the negative view of a person’s life. He asks not to tell
him this perception of pessimism about life in mournful numbers.
Mournful numbers here actually indicate Psalm verses that tell that life is just a hollow dream. He
completely denies that life is filled with misfortunes and is a meaningless dream.
For the soul which is dead at that slumbers; The use of metaphor here tells that the soul which
sleeps is as good as dead. The poet says that life is not truly what the sorrowful numbers tell it to
be so.
Stanza 2 – The Optimistic View
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.
Here the narrator shares the sanguine view which is trying to instill, the Psalm of Life. Here we
get what the poet’s perception or impression of life is. Completely contrasting with the pessimistic
view, Longfellow says that life is not a hollow dream, but life is real; life is not an illusion or
something that should be wasted.
These lines show the positivity of the poet. In the subsequent lines, the poet challenging the biblical
view tells us about the essence of life.
While death is an inevitable destination, the goal of life is not to reach the grave. He says that there
were ways with which we can attain immortality for the soul. In the later stanzas, he describes
these more.

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Stanza 3 – The Guide
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
Is our destined end or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Finds us farther than to-day.
The poet now tells us about how life should be lived, with both the polar opposite views of the life
discussed.
The poet explains that the explicit pursuit of happiness will eventually lead to sorrow; hence to be
sad or happy is not the goal of life. The goal should be content, and we know that both joy and
sorrow will be part of life. One should work and improve upon oneself so that one could keep
improving. Always try hard and be the better version of what you actually were yesterday.
Stanza 4 – The Ticking Clock
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 this stanza, we get to know the reason why the poet called life as “real and earnest” in the second
stanza of the poem. Longfellow, to express the gravity of the situation, puts two contrasting things
against one another. He says time, which is utterly important, is always fleeting from us. It is not
going to last any longer, and it waits for none.
So while our responsibilities and goals increase every day, the time that we have to achieve all of
that does decreases. Like the ticking of the clock, the heart’s beat is actually a reminder of the
fleeting time we poss.
Stanza 5 – The Battle
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!
A Psalm Of Life Analysis theme of war in the poem Psalm of Life shows some of the seriousness
of the situation which has been brought by Longfellow in this is this stanza. Longfellow calls life
as a hutment.

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A hutment is a temporary encampment used by military personnel. So the world is referred to as a
battlefield, and in this hutment of life, you cannot work according to someone else’s direction
completely. Life is harsh and ruthless.
The poet tells us to be the hero and asks us to do how a brave soldier rises in the strife and does on
a battlefield. That is how one has to win this battle.
Stanza 6 – No Regret
Trust no Future, however pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Act,–act in the living Present!
Heart within, and God overhead!
The poem’s stanza warns us about two things that are equally plaguing and dangerous, which are
very important. He says trust no future, as a pleasant future’s expectations can render one useless
because they actually start to live in that. The poet warns us and not to repeat that.
Longfellow also tells us whatever happened, be it good or bad in the past, don’t let it linger in your
mind for very long.
Finally, Longfellow says that you should always work at the very instant you are in with faith by
living in the present, in yourself and have faith in the consequences.
Stanza 7 – Possibility
Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sands of time;
In the Psalm for Life, here the poet motivates us that this whole message is not some unattainable
goal. He says that what has been done before and can also be repeated.
The examples that the poet uses in the lives of great men who did choose to go against this
pessimistic view of life and always acted in the present. This is the point where he reinforces the
line of an immortal soul when he says, “Footprints on the sands of time.”
By doing everything that the great men did, we can make ourselves elevated and noble. And hence,
our work will immortally live as our soul.
Stanza 8 – Inspire
Footprints, that perhaps another,
Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,

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A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,
Seeing, shall take heart again.
Longfellow compares our situation with someone in this stanza, else similar is in the future. Like
how from the immortal words of great men, we can take inspiration.
Here the use of metaphor for life is a very important thing to note like: “A forlorn and shipwrecked
bother.” Her life is compared to a cast ocean and our lives as ships. This beautifully ties with the
first stanza where the poet said, “For the soul is dead that slumbers,” as a ship is as good as wrecked
that has stopped moving in the ocean.
Stanza 9 – Act Now
Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing
Learn to labor and to wait.
The ultimate stanza is all about keeping all the things we learned in our hearts and starting to act,
which should be the ultimate goal of life. We must prepare ourselves for whatever may come in
the very future and start working today to be a little better tomorrow so that we can move ahead
and grow.
It ends with the message of keeping achievements and pursuing and never letting life pass and
stop. The last line conveys the message to keep working patiently.

What is the summary of the Psalm of Life?

‘A Psalm of Life’ by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes the purpose of life, and how one
should handle the sorrow and struggles along the way. The poem begins with the speaker
contradicting a listener who wants to explain life to him as a matter of number and figures.
What is the meaning of slumber in the context of the poem A Psalm of Life?
At the very beginning of the poem, the poet disapproves of the idea put in the mournful numbers
i.e. sad poems that life is nothing but an empty dream i.e. hollow and meaningless like the dream.
For him, the soul of those who slumber i.e. sleep (or in other words those who consider life as a
meaningless dream) is dead.
Why did Longfellow write A Psalm of Life?
Longfellow was thirty-one when he wrote “A Psalm of Life,” likely writing it to fight back the
inertia of depression overtaking him after the death of his wife from the complications of a
miscarriage in the latter part of 1835.
What are the values expressed in Psalm of Life?

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 The values that are expressed in the poem ‘Psalm of life’ is patience, hard work, optimism, self-
belief, self –respect, faith in God, self-confidence.
What do the stanzas in A Psalm of Life have in common?
They show stages in a thought process. The poem adheres to a strict ABAB rhyme scheme
throughout each stanza.

A Psalm of Life
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.

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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.