Sunday, July 27, 2008

A psalm so wonderful . !



Among the various poems that I have read till now , I found this one the most beautiful! This is a poem that can truly help someone change himself. . .A Psalm of life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. . :)

" WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN SAID

TO THE PALMIST "

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.




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

add this line at the end :

Learn to labour and to wait,
with a lovely piu smile:)
and leave rest to fate...!...

----BP

Surabhi said...

:) Will do dat :):):)

! said...

thanx for this one!well.....i don't know if that's a coincidence but this is so close to one of my favourites by Rabindranath Tagore-
i long,o god,not for stilling of my pains
but i pray for the power to bear it!
sorry can't recollect the rest of it:)