All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/a-psalm-of-life-by-henry-wadsworth-longfellow/
Each fortnight a poem is chosen to be recorded by as many LibriVox volunteers as possible!This poem was first published in the October 1838 issue of The Knickerbocker, a New York City magazine. It then appeared in Longfellow's first published book of poems, Voices Of The Night, in 1839. It is an upbeat psalmists answer to the biblical psalm that we are but dust heading for the grave, urging us instead to be heroic, to make the most of our lives, and set a good example for others to follow. (Summary by Michele Fry)
This fortnight's poem can be found here.
[*] Project Code: jPT9oX9t
Set your recording software to:
Channels: 1 (Mono)
Bit Rate: 128 kbps
Sample Rate: 44100 kHz
Have questions on "how"?
Check LV's Recording Notes thread before recording. If this is your first recording, you'll also find this Newbie Guide to Recording useful.
Begin your reading with the abbreviated LibriVox disclaimer:
No more than 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning of the recording!
Then read the poem:A Psalm Of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, read for LibriVox.org by [your name].
[Add, if you wish, date, your location, and/or your personal url.]
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 tomorrow
Find us farther than today.
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.
At the end of your reading, leave a space and then say:
End of poem. This recording is in the public domain.
Please leave 5 seconds of silence at the end of your recording.
Save your recording as an mp3 file using the following filename and ID3 tag format:
File name - all in lowercase: psalmoflife_longfellow_your initials_128kb.mp3
ID3 tags (Version 2):
Artist Name: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Track Title: A Psalm Of Life - Read by YOUR INITIALS (e.g. A Psalm Of Life - Read by KLH)
Album Title: LibriVox Fortnightly Poetry
Comments: (optional) Recorded by [your name]
Transfer of files (completed recordings) Please always post in this forum thread when you've sent a file. Also, post the length of the recording (file duration: mm:ss) together with the link.
- Upload your file with the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader
(If you have trouble reading the image above, please message an admin) - You'll need to select the MC, which for this project is: aradlaw
- When your upload is complete, you will receive a link - please post it in this thread.
- If this doesn't work, or you have questions, please check our How To Send Your Recording wiki page.
(If you wish to contribute, please have your readings submitted by 0600 GMT Sunday, February 17 (12:00AM CDT)
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(And remember, anyone can suggest a poem for a certain week and/or coordinate an upcoming fortnightly poem! If you'd like to suggest a poem or coordinate a future Fortnightly Poetry project, please visit this thread.)