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.
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.
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 Finds 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.
{ 20 comments }
Wow! Read that back in school in 1950s…
Thanks… :)
Thanks for sharing one of the most inspirational poems ever! Oh that men and women would live like that!
This really means a lot to me. I needed to hear this.
That’s great advice if you happen to be a phenomenally talented poet or some other person with extraordinary abilities. For the rest of us, maximum striving will yield marginally better lives, but will not make us “great men” or enable us to “leave footprints in the sands of time”.
For most of us, a life in the cubicle followed by retirement, with perhaps some volunteer effort with kids who will soon forget our names.
With an outlook like that, ZZ, you’re right: you’ll get nowhere, and you’ll do it really, really fast. Set your eyes on a mediocre goal and you’ll be — surprise! — mediocre.
My mother used to read that poem out loud to me as a child. It is as poignant and powerful now as it was then.
ZZ seems to have shot the horse before he started riding and is now complaining because he isn’t getting anywhere.
Thank you for sending this; it is one of my favorite poems.
I am pleased to see the Art of Manliness back on track after its unfortunate embrace of Lee and slavery.
Scott-
I’ve looked through the archives and I haven’t seen anything here on the site where AoM has embraced slavery. Quit making shit up.
The only direct mention of Lee I found through a search was this:
http://artofmanliness.com/2008/10/27/manly-advice-from-robert-e-lee-plus-a-book-giveaway/
There is more to Lee than slavery, despite what simplistic history books will tell us. Just like there is more to that era of the South — and this is coming from a Yankee.
You just recorded my all time favorite poem. I love the poems of Longfellow, but this is a cut above even the lengthy Paul Revere’s Ride. This and Dickinson’s poem “We Never Know” are two among the greatest to come out of American literature. Thanks.
This poem is definitely an inspiration. I agree with Matt H., this is American literature at its best. I have read through this poem 7 times since I saw it here and I absolutely love it. A perfect message for any man.
Translation:
Work hard, love life, live life, and in your own way make an impact some where some how.
Very meaningful poem, especially if you are a member of KAO.
Thank you for the Longfellow Psalm. It reminds me of subjects my favorite psalmist,King David, wrote about.
Peace, G.
I read and loved this poem for the first time back in high school. It’s just as pertinent today, if not more so, as I can see it through the filter of the wisdom the last ten years have brought. No doubt it will be more meaningful ten more years down the road.
I highly recommend the poem Ulysses, by Alfred Lord Tennyson (about the original Ulysses, not him of S. Grant fame). It’s more literary (read: more archaic and perhaps a bit more syntactically challenging), but well worth it. It’s also more poignant, since it’s about a man nearing the end of his life. It is beautiful though, and in the words of the final stanza, a constant reminder to be “strong in will to strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.”
Loved the poem and wanted to share it (and by extension, the site) with a friend via the “share e-mail” link but it doesn’t work properly. Bummer. Maybe it’s my browser (Chrome). Who knows?
A classic carpe diem poem full of optimism, hope and inspiration. Thanks for sharing this! I love the literary works of Henry Wadsworth!
Tell us more about the image “footprints” you included in this post. Who is the artist and it seems like there’s a meaningful story behind it.
@Ryan-
The picture comes from this book from 1891:
http://books.google.com/books?id=LnECAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=psalm+of+life&hl=en&ei=uavtTJTED4_Wnge1zvC_Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false
It seems like back in the day they used to publish little books that consisted of a poem and a bunch of illustrations to go with it. Quite a nice concept I think.
@ZZ
Sorry to hear that you feel that way man, we all have ups and down. Find something to anchor yourself to what’s happening now, something that gives you purpose. God, Family, exercise, work, whatever it takes. Once you’ve got your anchor, take a deep breath, stand up straight, & start pushing forward again.
The only thing that’s standing in your way is your own inhibitions. I don’t know you from Adam, but, I know you can do it.
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