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May 27, 2023 · “Dust thou art, to dust returnest” is taken directly from Genesis 3:19, the punishment given to humankind after the fall. Now, in their fallen state, their lives are subjected to a natural end: “the grave.” This was a result of sin, however, and not the intended purpose for humankind.
- A Psalm of Life What The Heart of The Young Man Said to The Psalmist
- About A Psalm of Life
- Stanza 1 – The Anti-Pessimistic view.
- Stanza 2 – The Optimistic View
- Stanza 3 – The Guide
- Stanza 4 – The Ticking Clock.
- Stanza 5 – The Battle
- Stanza 6 – No Regret
- Stanza 7 – Possibility
- Stanza 8 – Inspire
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-morro...
The poem, as you can see from the first read, is a didactic one. Didactic means that the poem or verse is trying to instill some thought, some lessons into the minds of the reader. Hence it is aptly named, “A Psalm of Life.” The poem is also often subtitled as “What the Heart of a Young man said to the Psalmist” because this poem is about going aga...
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. The beginning of the poem starts with the life that denies the pessimistic view of the Psalmist. The poet refuses to believe in the negative view of life. He asks not to tell him this pessimistic perception of life ...
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 optimistic view which this Psalm of Life is trying to instill. Here we get what the poet’s perception of life is. Contrasting with the pessimistic view, Longfellow says that life is not a hollow ...
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow Finds us farther than to-day. With both the polar opposite views of the life discussed, the poet now tells us how life should be lived. He carefully explains why positive thinking about life is not the pursuit of happiness or the avoidance of sorrow. I think ...
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 why the poet called life as “real and earnest” in the second stanza. Longfellow puts two contrasting things against one another to express the gravity of the situation. He say...
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! This is the stanza where Longfellow brings the theme of war in Psalm of Life to show the seriousness of the situation. You come into this world with a borrowed amount of time, that is called life. Longfellow calls life as a bivoua...
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! Another very important stanza of the poem where the poet warns us about two things that are equally plaguing and dangerous. He says trust no future, however pleasant it may be. This is what many of the daydreamers succ...
Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Here the poet motivates us that this whole message in the Psalm for Life is not some unattainable goal. He says that it has been done before and can be done again. The examples are the lives of great men who chose to go a...
Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. In this stanza, Longfellow compares our situation with someone else similar’s in the future. Like we can take inspiration from the immortal works of great men, similarly, someone else who is in despair can take inspi...
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,
Nov 5, 2022 · He thinks, “Dust thou art, to dust thou returnest” (You are made of dust, and you will go back to dust after death) is only spoken of the body and it is not applicable to the soul. So the poet makes it clear that he believes in the existence of the soul after our death.
- Jayanta Kumar Maity
Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. This being said, the themes of the poem include using time effectively, making the best of the time that we have, and just...
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,
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,
