A Psalm of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The young man's heart tells the psalmist that life is no empty dream and that the soul's end is not the grave. It urges action in the present, courage, and patient labor, suggesting that the example of a purposeful life may encourage someone who has lost heart.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Didactic Poetry, Inspirational Poetry · 359 words
First lines
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.
Genres
- Didactic Poetry — Rhymed quatrains give direct counsel to act in the present, resist passivity, and learn to labor and wait.
- Inspirational Poetry — The speaker calls for courage and suggests that the example left by one life may restore another person's hope.
Tags
purposeful living · present action · mortality · courage · perseverance · patient labor
What this Textopian page supports
A Psalm of Life is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
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- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Didactic Poetry, Inspirational Poetry
- Length: 359 words
- Structure: 1 section, 10 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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