A Psalm of Life Analysis

A Psalm of Life
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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.

Summary of the Poem A Psalm of Life
Popularity of “A Psalm of Life”: Written by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, a great American poet and educator, “A Psalm of Life” is a famous core because it explains the pragmatic view of life It was first made Published in 1838. The poem deals with the subject of life and the opportunities it offers people. It also encourages readers to live life to the fullest. Because of this, it has gained immense popularity worldwide since its publication
“A Psalm of Life” “As a Representation of Life”: In this poem the poet presents a very optimistic view of life. The young narrator of the poem gives readers advice to the psalmists on how to do it. For him, life is not a boring, stupid, or empty dream, but offers immense opportunities to make our dreams come true. We can achieve our goals by spending time and working hard. He negates the lessons that lead us to a pessimistic view of life. With his arguments he tries to show the power and potential of life. He explains we shouldn't spend life waiting to die. Rather, we should work diligently and dedicatedly to leave our name in the world. What enchants the readers is the message This life has an end and we should shape the infinite flow of time through our hard work.
Main Topics in A Psalm of Life: Life and hope are two main themes in the poem the poet uses has many literary elements. He says we shouldn't mourn the past; Instead, we should fully enjoy the present moments in life. He compares life to a fight that says we should act like a hero and overcome any obstacle that comes our way. Throughout the poem he wants to encourage readers and urges. He instructs them to balance happiness and sadness and create a better future for themselves.
Analysis of literary devices in A Psalm of Life
Literary devices are tools that make this possible Writers to present their ideas, emotions and feelings and to help readers understand these deeper meanings. Henry Wordsworth Longfellow also used some literary aids in this poem. Analysis of some of the literary aids used in this poem is given below.

Allusions: Allusion is an indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical cultural, political or literary meaning. Longfellow used this device in the opening line of the poem, such as, “Don't tell me in sad numbers.” Here the numbers refer to the chapters and passages of the Bible.
Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds on the same line, like the sound of / e / in “The life of great men reminds us all” and the sound of / i / in “Still reaching, still chasing” .
Images: Images are used to get readers to agree with things perceive their five senses. Henry used visual imagery to conjure up mental images such as "In the vast battlefield of the world" and "footprints" on the sands of time. " He personified the soul in the last line of the second stanza: "Wasn't spoken of by the soul", as if the soul were human and it can speak.
Anaphora: It refers to the repetition of a word or phrase in the poem. Henry repeated the word “life” to emphasize his feelings about life on the fifth line, which says, “Life is real! Life is serious. ”
Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line as the tone of / r / in“ An abandoned and shipwrecked brother ”.
Paradox: A paradox is a statement that seems contradicting but can be true, or at least be true. He used this device on the fourth line which says, "And things are not what they seem." Here he is talking about appearances versus reality.
Parallelism: Parallelism is the use of components in a sentence that are grammatically the same or similar in terms of their construction, their sound, their meaning or their meter. This device is used in the second stanza in which "Life is real" is parallel to "Life is serious!" and again in the last stanza, in which “still achieve” is parallel to “still pursue”.
Alliteration: Alliteration is the repetition of consonant tones on the same line as the tone of / n / in "Not Pleasure and Not Sorrow."
Literary analysis shows that the appropriate use of literary elements makes them thoughtful despite its simplicity.

Analysis of the poetic resources in “Un salmo de la vida”
The poetic and literary resources are the same, but some are used only in poetry. Here is the analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.

Estancia: A stanza is a poetic form of some verses. There are nine stanzas in this poem, each containing four lines
Quatrain: a quatrain is a four-line stanza taken from Persian Here, each stanza is a quatrain like the first and second
Rhyme scheme: The rhyme scheme followed by the entire poem is ABAB.
Final rhyme: The final rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. The final rhyme occurs within the second and third lines and again within the second and fourth lines. The rhyming words are "number", "sleep", "dream" and "seem". 40 to 4 Quotes to be used 40 to 4 The lines below can be used in a speech to motivate devastated people. These could also be used in religious sermons to increase the courage of the oppressed masses.

“In the vast battlefield of the world,
In the bivouac of life,
Be not like stupid, herded cattle!
Be a hero in battle!