Poetry & Analysis
Selected Poems
Inspirational PoemsA 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.
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.
Overview Short Summary
Longfellow’s poem urges readers to live actively, courageously, and usefully. A life well lived leaves footprints that may encourage others after we are gone.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Purpose: Life is presented as real, serious, and active.
- Legacy: The famous footprints image shows how one life can guide another.
- Courage: The poem calls for effort, faith, and action in the present.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is motivational and commanding. The mood is hopeful, especially for readers seeking life well lived poems with meaning and summary.
Close Reading Explanation
The poem rejects despair, defines life as purposeful action, and ends with a call to keep working and waiting faithfully. Its central argument is that meaningful lives inspire future lives.
Craft Literary Devices
- Metaphor: Life is compared to a battle, a camp, and a sea journey.
- Imagery: Footprints on sand make legacy visible and memorable.
- Imperative language: Commands such as ‘Act’ and ‘be up and doing’ give the poem urgency.
The Builders
All are architects of Fate,
Working in these walls of Time;
Some with massive deeds and great,
Some with ornaments of rhyme.
Nothing useless is, or low;
Each thing in its place is best;
And what seems but idle show
Strengthens and supports the rest.
For the structure that we raise,
Time is with materials filled;
Our to-days and yesterdays
Are the blocks with which we build.
Truly shape and fashion these;
Leave no yawning gaps between;
Think not, because no man sees,
Such things will remain unseen.
In the elder days of Art,
Builders wrought with greatest care
Each minute and unseen part;
For the Gods see everywhere.
Let us do our work as well,
Both the unseen and the seen;
Make the house, where Gods may dwell,
Beautiful, entire, and clean.
Else our lives are incomplete,
Standing in these walls of Time,
Broken stairways, where the feet
Stumble as they seek to climb.
Build to-day, then, strong and sure,
With a firm and ample base;
And ascending and secure
Shall to-morrow find its place.
Thus alone can we attain
To those turrets, where the eye
Sees the world as one vast plain,
And one boundless reach of sky.
Overview Short Summary
Longfellow compares life to a building made from days and deeds. A life well lived is carefully shaped, both in visible actions and unseen character.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Character: The poem emphasizes careful work even when no one sees.
- Time: Days become building blocks of the life we create.
- Growth: A strong present allows tomorrow to stand securely.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is instructive and uplifting. The mood is constructive, fitting for legacy, purpose, and meaningful life themes.
Close Reading Explanation
The poem develops one extended metaphor: every person is a builder. It asks readers to shape each day with care because hidden choices become part of the whole life structure.
Craft Literary Devices
- Extended metaphor: Life is a building made in the walls of Time.
- Symbolism: Blocks, walls, stairways, and turrets represent moral development.
- Contrast: Seen and unseen work are both treated as important.
Life
Life, believe, is not a dream
So dark as sages say;
Oft a little morning rain
Foretells a pleasant day.
Sometimes there are clouds of gloom,
But these are transient all;
If the shower will make the roses bloom,
O why lament its fall?
Rapidly, merrily,
Life’s sunny hours flit by,
Gratefully, cheerily
Enjoy them as they fly!
What though Death at times steps in,
And calls our Best away?
What though sorrow seems to win,
O’er hope, a heavy sway?
Yet Hope again elastic springs,
Unconquered, though she fell;
Still buoyant are her golden wings,
Still strong to bear us well.
Manfully, fearlessly,
The day of trial bear,
For gloriously, victoriously,
Can courage quell despair!
Overview Short Summary
Charlotte Brontë presents life as a mixture of sorrow and hope. Even death and grief do not defeat courage, gratitude, and the return of hope.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Hope: The poem insists that dark periods are temporary.
- Courage: The final stanza asks readers to bear trial fearlessly.
- Gratitude: Sunny hours should be received cheerfully while they last.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is encouraging and resilient. The mood moves from gloom toward strength.
Close Reading Explanation
Rain and clouds become images for sorrow, but the poem keeps turning them toward growth, roses, and renewed hope. This makes it useful for funeral, memorial, and encouragement readings.
Craft Literary Devices
- Imagery: Rain, clouds, roses, and wings create a movement from sadness to hope.
- Personification: Hope is given wings and the ability to spring back.
- Contrast: Death and sorrow are balanced against courage and gratitude.
Abou Ben Adhem
Abou Ben Adhem (may his tribe increase!)
Awoke one night from a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,
An angel writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem bold;
And to the presence in the room he said,
“What writest thou?” The vision raised its head,
And, with a look made of all sweet accord,
Answered, “The names of those who love the Lord.”
“And is mine one?” said Abou. “Nay, not so,”
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerly still; and said, “I pray thee, then,
Write me as one that loves his fellow-men.”
The angel wrote and vanished. The next night
It came again with a great wakening light,
And showed the names whom love of God had blessed,
And lo! Ben Adhem’s name led all the rest.
Overview Short Summary
The poem tells of a man whose love for other people becomes the sign of a blessed life. It links spiritual worth with human kindness.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Love of humanity: Abou asks to be remembered as one who loves his fellow men.
- Humility: He accepts that his name is not first listed and responds gently.
- Spiritual legacy: The ending honors love in action rather than outward status.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is peaceful and reverent. The mood is warm and reassuring.
Close Reading Explanation
The angel’s book first seems to measure religious devotion, but the ending shows that love for people is itself a sign of divine blessing. This makes the poem a strong life well lived tribute.
Craft Literary Devices
- Symbolism: The book of gold represents spiritual remembrance.
- Imagery: Moonlight, lilies, and wakening light create a sacred atmosphere.
- Irony: Abou’s humble second request leads to the highest blessing.
Requiem
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.
Overview Short Summary
Stevenson’s brief poem imagines an epitaph for a person who lived gladly and accepts rest as a homecoming.
Core Ideas Main Themes
- Peaceful death: The poem treats death as rest rather than terror.
- Homecoming: The sailor and hunter images suggest return after a long journey.
- Contentment: The speaker looks back on life with gladness.
Emotional Effect Tone and Mood
The tone is calm and accepting. The mood is quiet, peaceful, and suitable for funeral or memorial use.
Close Reading Explanation
The first stanza gives the speaker’s simple wish for burial under the sky. The second stanza turns that wish into an epitaph about fulfilled longing and final rest.
Craft Literary Devices
- Metaphor: Homecoming represents death as a return to peace.
- Imagery: The wide sky, sailor, and hunter give the poem a spacious outdoor feeling.
- Epitaph: The poem is structured like words meant for a grave.
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