“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 and life is earnest and grave is not its goal,Dust thou art to dust returnest, was not spoken for the soul. “
Yet another poem that made the biggest impression on my mind is H.W. Longfellow’s “Psalm of Life”. It was not easy to understand the full crux of the poem as a middle school kid. It was only when Miss Dorothy explained the full meaning of the lines that we were able to grasp the poem. And till today, the lines from that poem inspire me in my darkest times. The opening lines “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 and life is earnest and grave is not its goal, Dust thou art to dust returnest, was not spoken for the soul. “These lines inspire me whenever I am down. It is a long poem which I my readers can find out by searching its name in any major search engine. Mr. Longfellow shakes us from our depressive slumber. He reminds that we are approaching our end with each heartbeat and therefore must utilize this time to achieve and pursue our goals. I make it a point to share it with some of the people who come to me for counseling.