ENTHUSIASM

 

A 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 tomorrow
Find us farther than today.

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,
And our heats, 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.

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.

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

American poet, translator, and college professor, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is considered both a popular and a serious poet.

Longfellow is one of the few poets who enjoyed enormous popularity during his lifetime. A Psalm of Life, first published in 1839 from a collection of poetry called Voices of Night, became enormously popular in America and in Europe, as did his later even more famous works, The Wreck of the Hesperus and his classic The Song of Hiawatha. This poem, written by the man who holds the title as the most popular American poet of the nineteenth century, is a tribute to one word, and that word is enthusiasm. The original Greek meaning of his word is "a god within." Longfellow's A Psalm of Life encourages you and me to take a thoughtful look at the brief span of time given to us, which is our life, and to adopt an enthusiastic and grateful attitude for all that we are and all that we experience.

In 1861 Longfellow was plunged into melancholy when his second wife died after accidentally setting fire to her dress. After losing two wives to untimely deaths, Longfellow longed for spiritual relief, and much of the poetry of his last twenty years reflected his quest for making connection with the divine. A Psalm of Life stands as a memorial to the spirit of this great and popular poet.

In this poem, Longfellow tells us that the soul is our true essence and things are not what they seem. Our bodies and material surroundings are a myth and a way of thinking that lead us to a dull and unfulfilled life. He reminds us that the grave is not our goal; when we speak of aging we should refer only to the body, for the soul, the source of our "God within," is not composed of dust. He asks us to forget about our sorrows and our pleasures and turn our attention to our own growth and vow to be farther tomorrow than we are today. Our body is on a funeral march to the grave, but the God within will never know such a thing as a burial.

I love his choice of words to get us out of the doldrums of a life in which we often act like dumb, driven cattle, doing whatever our herd mentality directs us to do. Rather, he says, be a hero, which I interpret to mean, be enthusiastic until it positively thrills you. Demonstrate your enthusiasm for life and radiate it outward in everything you do until it infects all those around you. This is heroism. You don't have to run into a burning building to save a child to be a hero, you just have to be in touch with that God within.

Enthusiasm is not something granted to some and absent in others. All of us have a God within. Some of us choose to be in touch with it and display it, while others mask it and allow it to remain dormant. We let our inner God be dust even though the poet reminds us, "Dust thou art, to dust returnest, was not spoken of the soul." Enthusiasm is a quality that nourishes success. When people ask me the secret of giving a great talk, I tell them it is being authentically enthusiastic. Be this and you will be loved and forgiven for any flaws.

As the great Greek dramatist Aeschylus once proclaimed, "When a man's willing and eager, God joins in..." Enthusiasm spreads joy because there is nothing depressing about it. It has faith on its side since all fear subsides when enthusiasm is present. It is accepting because all doubt has been banished and there is no uncertainty. Enthusiasm is a choice that you can make right now.

A contemporary of Longfellow's, Ralph Waldo Emerson, also recognized the value of enthusiasm. He wrote: "Every great and commanding movement in the annals of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm..." Make your own life a great and commanding movement, by practicing what this Psalm of Life offers you. Let us then be up and doing, with a heart for any fate.

Notice those people who have this "heart for any fate" and continue to achieve and pursue regardless of their circumstances. They love to laugh. They get excited over even the smallest of things. They don't seem to know how to be bored. Give them a gift and they will hug you in appreciation and put it to use instantly. Give them a free ticket to a concert and they bubble with delirium over the unexpected opportunity. Go shopping with them and their eyes are open appreciating everything in sight, never complaining. Don't you just love being around them? This is enthusiasm. It is the God inside all of us that wants us to know what Longfellow means when he says, "Life is real! Life earnest!"

And truly, as he puts it, the soul is dead that slumbers. Let you soul come alive and experience life through your physical being. You can begin by reading this popular poem every day and permitting Longfellow's greatness to inspire your enthusiasm. Then try some of these practical suggestions:

• Anytime you are beginning an activity, like walking along the beach or attending a soccer game, pretend to yourself that it is both the first and the last time you are having this experience. This gives you a fresh eye and a sense of enthusiasm for whatever you are doing. I have eight children, and I couldn't tell you how many talent shows; concerts; auditions; recitals; soccer; basketball and baseball tryouts, gamers and playoffs I have attended. I practice this suggestion each time I attend. I'll pretend that this is the very first time I've ever done this, and the experience comes more alive. Or I'll pretend that this is the very last time I'll ever get to have this experience, and again my enthusiasm soars.

   

• Changes your mind about how you have defined yourself until now. Rather than I've always been a non-demonstrative person, shift to I am going to let my enthusiasm for life show. It is always a choice to have your soul slumbering or enjoying its embodiment through you.

   

• Lessen your inclination to be a nonparticipant in life. Standing on the sidelines while others partake of the action is fine, but when you allow your enthusiasm for life to triumph, you will experience what Longfellow meant when he reminded you to be up and doing!

   

• Another of Longfellow's great poems tells of Paul Revere's ride and begins with the famous lines, "Listen my children and you shall hear..." Read it also in its entirety and feel the excitement of that epic moment and how Longfellow brought his enthusiasm to the telling of that story. Even while mourning the loss of his wife, this man was able to continue being up and doing, with a heart for any fate.