A Psalm of Life By H.W. Longfellow
In this
article we will talk about a very brief introduction to A Psalm of Life. About
the author of this excellent poem (A Psalm of Life). And lastly the summary of
the poem A Psalm of Life.
Introduction to A Psalm of Life
‘A Psalm of Life’ is an inspiring
poem written by the American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. A Psalm of Life
is a religious or sacred song or hymn, in particular any of those contained in
Biblical Book of Psalms and used in Christian and Jewish worship. But the
meaning of ‘A Psalm of Life’ is a song of life, where the poet is glorifying
life and its possibilities. It is an appeal to mankind to follow the path of
righteousness, the right way to live the life.
In the
poem, A Psalm of Life, the poet sees life from an optimistic outlook.
Throughout the poem the poet conveys his view of life, instructs the reader to
make most out of his life. The poem is didactic in tone. ‘A Psalm of Life’ is a
nine stanzas poem which is dived into set of 4 lines. The rhyming pattern of
this poem is – abab cdcd efef.
About the author of A Psalm of Life
H.W. Longfellow was born in
Portland, America on 27 February, 1807. He was sent to private school with his
friend, Nathaniel Hawthorne. Hawthorne also became a famous writer in American
Literature. as a student, Longfellow was a proficient student of language.
After completion of school education, Longfellow travelled throughout Europe.
During his journey he got an opportunity to refine his language skill. When he
accomplished his journey, on his return he was married.
Longfellow
retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing, and he lived the
remainder of his life in a former Revolutionary War headquarters of George
Washington in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His first wife died in 1835 after a
miscarriage. Seven year later he got married with Frances Appleton. His second
wife died in 1861 after sustaining burns when her dress caught fire. After the
death, Longfellow faced difficulty in writing poetry and he started focusing on
translating works from foreign languages. He was the fist American to translate
Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy. His works include ‘Paul Revere’s Ride’, ‘Evangeline’,
‘Voice of The Night’, and ‘The Song of Hiawatha’. He died on 24 March, 1882
after experiencing severe stomach ache.
Summary and Paraphrasing of A Psalm of Life
Stanza 1: “Tell me not, ……… what
they seem.”
In this
stanza the poet asks us not to tell him sorrowful verses that life is hollow and
meaningless dream. Here the poet slams the pessimist who sing melancholy songs,
write sad poems, or thinks that nothing can be achieved in this life. According
to Longfellow, a person who spent all his sleeping is already dead. The speaker
is attempting to fight back against the materialism of life.
Stanza 2: “Life is real! ………
spoken of the soul”
In the
second stanza of A Psalm of Life, the poets tell us that according to him life
is real and serious, not baseless or useless. Life should not be taken lightly.
Ultimate goal of a person should not be departing from this world as life does
not end with death. He believes that even after death there is some remaining
works in the world. The poet makes it clear that he believes in existence of
soul after death as ending of the life solely belongs to the body not be the
soul.
Stanza 3: “Not Enjoyment, ………
than to-day.”
The third
stanza of A Psalm of Life is about the ideal way of living. The poet continues
his discussion of the purpose of life. The poet suggests that neither enjoyment,
nor sorrow should be our ultimate aim or way of life. Both should be in a
balanced way. The poet in A Psalm of Life doesn’t want us to waste even a
single day of our life. We must try to act purposefully to excel in our life.
Stanza 4: “Art is Long, ……… to
the grave.”
In the
above stanza of A Psalm of Life is about the responsibilities in this life, the
work assigned to us. According to him works given to us are vast and time
consuming but the time is running away fast with every moment. There are a lot of
work that has to be done in short time and nobody can stretch the time. One
must be stout and brave. Following the beating drums of the grave. One should
not go to grave without having accomplished work at hand.
Stanza 5: “In the world’s ……… in
the strife!”
In the
fifth stanza of the poem A Psalm of Life the poet compares the world to a vast
battle field where we human being come temporarily in the war camp to fight the
battle of our life. So, a person become a soldier. The poet us to be a hero and
fight the battle bravely and win it. The poet wishes us to be successful in our
life by following the right oath. The poet does not like to see us like the
dumb cattle driven by others with no specific goal.
Stanza 6: “Trust no Future, ………
God o’erhead!”
In the
sixth stanza the poet reminds us of a very popular quote “learn from the past,
live in the present, and hope for the future.” Here the poets direct us to not
trust the future, the future can be pleasant or can be horrible. We often get
carried away by the happy dreams which we wished for future and forgot to work
in the present for that dream. The poet also say that we should forget our past
as it is dead and if you keep remembering it, it will haunt you and affect your
present. We should listen to our heart and faith in God.
Stanza 7: “Lives of great men ………
sands of time;”
In this
stanza of poem, A Psalm of Life, the poet says that the lives of successful and
great men remind us that one can also be successful and achieve heights in their
life. One should really work hard for the achievement. If one achieved that height
in their life they will be remembered for their contribution. We can’t live forever
but we can leave our marks on the infinite flow of time through our inspiring
and good work. Such work can inspire the coming generation too.
Stanza 8: “Footprints, ……… shall
take heart again.”
In the
particular stanza the poet continues the theme of leaving a footprint to
inspire coming generation. He is comparing a miserable and wretched person with
a hopeless shipwrecked man siling over the large sea for survival. That person
can take inspiration by the example set by us and can gain courage to move
forward in his life.
Stanza 9: “Let us, then ……… and
to wait.”
In the final stanza of poem, A
Psalm of Life, the poet asks us to start working for building our future. He urges
us not mind the consequences which the decision holds or make our mind prepared
for any fate. He tells us to carry on for reaching great heights. We must not
forget the formula- ‘there is not shortcut for success.’ Therefore, we should
work hard and wait patiently for the reward.
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