English IV: "A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This 1838 poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow encourages readers to embrace purposeful action and leave a positive and lasting impact on the world.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mournful
    filled with or evoking sadness
    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.
  2. slumber
    be asleep
    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.
  3. earnest
    devout or heartfelt
    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.
  4. sorrow
    the state of being sad
    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
    Is our destined end or way;
    But to act, that each to-morrow
    Find us farther than to-day.
  5. destined
    governed by fate
    Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
    Is our destined end or way;
    But to act, that each to-morrow
    Find us farther than to-day.
  6. fleeting
    lasting for a markedly brief time
    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.
  7. stout
    courageous and dependable
    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.
  8. muffled
    being or made softer or less loud or clear
    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.
  9. bivouac
    temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
    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!
  10. strife
    lack of agreement or harmony
    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!
  11. sublime
    of high moral or intellectual value
    Lives of great men all remind us
    We can make our lives sublime,
    And, departing, leave behind us
    Footprints on the sands of time
  12. depart
    leave
    Lives of great men all remind us
    We can make our lives sublime,
    And, departing, leave behind us
    Footprints on the sands of time
  13. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    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.
  14. forlorn
    marked by or showing hopelessness
    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.
  15. labor
    strive and make an effort to reach a goal
    Let us, then, be up and doing,
    With a heart for any fate;
    Still achieving, still pursuing,
    Learn to labor and to wait.
Created on Fri Apr 17 14:52:41 EDT 2026 (updated Wed Jun 10 18:53:37 EDT 2026)

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