Monday, January 5, 2015

Poem: Revisiting Longfellow's "Psalm Of Life"

I have been revisiting Henry Woodworth Longfellow's "Psalm of Life". The first 3 stanzas, I keep reading over and over again. The lines "But to act, that to-morrow. Find us farther than to-day" Speaks so well of the goals we should aspire to have in life. Advancing, going farther and farther each day, chasing down our dreams, making our mark on the world, and the worlds of others.

"Psalm of Life"
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.

Here is the whole poem,  as posted earlier:
http://gerryyaum.blogspot.ca/2014/01/footprints.html

Update* Just realized the above link was made in January of 2014, before Dad knew he was very seriously ill. It's strange how we all take things for granted in life, even when we say we do not, or try to not.