A Psalm Of Life
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
LibriVox volunteers bring you 22 recordings of A Psalm Of Life by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
This was the Fortnightly Poetry project for February 3, 2019.
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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) (0 hr 46 min)
Chapters
| A Psalm of Life by ALG | 1:56 | Read by Amy Gramour |
| A Psalm of Life by BK | 2:25 | Read by Bruce Kachuk |
| A Psalm of Life by CLP | 1:45 | Read by Chris Pyle |
| A Psalm of Life by CS | 1:57 | Read by Campbell Schelp |
| A Psalm of Life by DL | 2:05 | Read by David Lawrence |
| A Psalm of Life by EC | 1:55 | Read by Ellies |
| A Psalm of Life by EL | 2:32 | Read by Newgatenovelist |
| A Psalm of Life by ERK | 2:07 | Read by Eileen Rose Kelly |
| A Psalm of Life by FH | 2:11 | Read by Foon |
| A Psalm of Life by GRS | 2:14 | Read by Graham Scott |
| A Psalm of Life by JFG | 1:48 | Read by Jim Gallagher |
| A Psalm of Life by JK | 1:41 | Read by Josh Kibbey |
| A Psalm of Life by KB | 2:04 | Read by Kristine Bekere |
| A Psalm of Life by LCW | 1:47 | Read by Larry Wilson |
| A Psalm of Life by MTF | 1:56 | Read by Michele Fry |
| A Psalm of Life by NR | 2:18 | Read by Nemo |
| A Psalm of Life by PS | 1:54 | Read by Phil Schempf |
| A Psalm of Life by PY | 2:01 | Read by Peter Yearsley |
| A Psalm of Life by SH | 2:20 | Read by SweetHome |
| A Psalm of Life by TP | 2:23 | Read by Tomas Peter |
| A Psalm of Life by WC | 2:18 | Read by Wayne Cooke |
| A Psalm of Life by WJ | 2:27 | Read by William Allan Jones |
Reviews
Sam Barnard
One of the greatest poems by one of, if not the greatest, American poet. However, the readings left much to be desired. I listened to a several, but they seemed to get progressively worse. Don't understand. I love this app & most of the readers, but this was atrocious. Sorry; just being honest.
22 Attempts At Reading This Poem
Procyon
Very popular poem by Longfellow. When Amy began I perked up a bit. She read very well. But the next person Bruce Kachuk attempted to read the poem, and it was downhill all the way. Sounded more like A Psalm of Death. I am no believer in the facile philosophy of the poet as reflected in this poem. It has a catchy rhythm, but the content is puerile. Well, Bruce's reading ended with a 'kachuk'! I couldn't go further. 22 readers attempting to revive this jejune jingle of a poem. Well, Bruce 'kachuked' me, and saved me the trouble of going further.