What Does Dust Thou Art to Dust Returnest Was Not Spoken of the Soul Mean?

A Psalm of Life

past Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Tell me not, in mournful numbers,
Life is but an empty dream!
For the soul is expressionless that slumbers,
And things are non what they seem.

Life is existent! Life is hostage!
And the grave is not its goal;
Dust yard fine art, to dust returnest,
Was non spoken of the soul.

Not enjoyment, and non sorrow,
Is our destined finish or way;
But to act, that each to-morrow
Find u.s.a. farther than to-day.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our hearts, though stout and brave,
Notwithstanding, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

In the globe's broad field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not similar dumb, driven cattle!
Exist a hero in the strife!

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!
Let the dead Past bury its dead!
Human activity,— deed in the living Nowadays!
Eye within, and God o'erhead!

Lives of great men all remind the states
We can brand our lives sublime,
And, parting, leave backside us
Footprints on the sands of time;

Footprints, that perchance another,
Sailing o'er life's solemn main,
A forlorn and shipwrecked blood brother,
Seeing, shall accept heart again.

Let us, and so, be upward and doing,
With a centre for any fate;
Even so achieving, withal pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Summary of the Poem A Psalm of Life

• Popularity of "A Psalm of Life": Written past Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a bang-up American poet, and educator, "A Psalm of Life" is a famous pome on business relationship of its explication the businesslike view of life. It was kickoff published in 1838. The poem deals with the subject of life and the possibilities it offers to human beings. Information technology as well encourages readers to live life to its fullest. Since its publication, it has gained immense popularity across the earth on business relationship of its subject thing.
• "A Psalm of Life" "As a Presentation of Life": In this verse form, the poet presents a highly optimistic view of life. The immature speaker of the poem gives the psalmist communication to the readers on how they should lead their lives. To him, life is not a slow, dumb or empty dream simply offers immense opportunities to fulfill our dreams. We can achieve our goals by utilizing fourth dimension and working difficult. He negates the teachings that atomic number 82 u.s.a. to a pessimistic outlook of life.  With his arguments, he tries to prove the ability and potential of life. He states that we should not spend life waiting for expiry. Rather, we should work diligently and devotedly to leave our name in the earth. What enchants the readers is the bulletin that life has an end and that we should leave our mark on the infinite flow of time through our difficult work.
• Major Themes in "A Psalm of Life": Life and hope are two major themes of the poem, which the poet has incorporated using aplenty of literary elements. He says we should not mourn the past; instead, nosotros should alive the nowadays moments of life to the fullest. He compares life with a battle saying that we should act similar a hero and surmount every obstacle that comes in our way. Throughout the poem, he intends to encourage the readers and urges them non to let the precious moments of life go in vain. He instructs them to continue a rest between happiness and sorrows and cleave a improve future for themselves.

Analysis of Literary Devices in "A Psalm of Life"

literary devices are tools that enable the writers to present their ideas, emotions, and feelings and also assistance the readers understand those more profound meanings. Henry Wordsworth Longfellow has too used some literary devices in this verse form. The analysis of some of the literary devices used in this poem has been given below.

• Allusions: Innuendo is an indirect reference of a person, place, thing or thought of a historical, cultural, political or literary significance. Longfellow has used this device in the opening line of the poem such equally, "Tell me not, in mournful numbers." Here the numbers refer to the chapters and sections of the Bible.
• Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the aforementioned line such every bit the audio of /e/ in "Lives of peachy men all remind the states" and the audio of /i/ in "Nevertheless achieving, still pursuing".
• Imagery: Imagery is used to make the readers perceive things with their v senses. Henry has used visual imagery to conjure mental images such as, "In the world'south wide field of battle" and "Footprints on the sands of time".
• Personification: Personification is to give human qualities to inanimate subjects. He has personified the soul in the concluding line of the second stanza, "Was not spoken of the soul" as if the soul is human and it can speak.
• Anaphora: Information technology refers to the repetition of a word or expression in the poem. Henry has repeated the word "life" to emphasize his feelings about life in the fifth line where it is stated as, "Life is existent! Life is earnest."
• Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the aforementioned line such every bit the audio of /r/ in "A forlorn and shipwrecked brother."
• Paradox: A paradox is a statement that may seem contradictory all the same can be true, or at to the lowest degree makes sense. He has used this device in the fourth line where it is stated equally, "And things are non what they seem." Here he talks about appearances versus reality.
• Parallelism: Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence grammatically the same or similar in their structure, sound, meaning, or meter. This device is used in the second stanza where "Life is existent" is paralleling "Life is earnest!" and again in the final stanza where "Nonetheless achieving" is paralleling "still pursuing".
• Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line such as the sound of /north/ in "Not enjoyment, and non sorrow".

The literary analysis shows that advisable use of literary elements has made information technology a idea-provoking for the readers despite its simplicity.

Analysis of Poetic Devices in "A Psalm of Life"

Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is the assay of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

• Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are nine stanzas in this poem each having four lines in it.
• Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Western farsi Here, each stanza is quatrain as the first i and the second i.
• Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme followed past the entire verse form is ABAB.
• End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. Terminate rhyme occurs within the second and third lines and once more within the second and 4th lines. The rhyming words are "number", "slumber", "dream" and "seem."

Quotes to be Used

The lines quoted beneath can be used in a speech to motivate the devastated people. These could likewise be used in religious sermons to elevate the courage of downtrodden masses.

"In the world's wide field of battle,
In the bivouac of Life,
Be not like impaired, driven cattle!
Exist a hero in the strife!"

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Source: https://literarydevices.net/a-psalm-of-life/

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