a psalm of life.




Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
A PSALM OF LIFE

WHAT THE HEART OF THE YOUNG MAN
SAID TO THE PSALMIST

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.

*this poem was shared to me by Daniel Lukas. one of my great friend. thanks much D! finally i get to chat wit him again after like a million years! hah! exage. but yeah, was great chattin wit him, he's definitely one of my best buds ever.

words of wisdom by daniel lukas


"Wisdom and learning is not something we simply wake up with, but is a product of painstaking observation and learning"


"Anyway. I think romance is often like driving a car and seeing a tree up front. You know its coming, either you avoid it (stay single), or you decide to hit it (get into the fray). Funny thing is, most people who decide to hit it accelerate (rush into dating), and more than often are killed in the crash."

" we gotta keep moving, but at the same time, look at where we're going."

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