101 Poems, Number 3

Favorite Poems Throughout My Life

3: “A Psalm of Life,” 1838, by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–82)

Another long one by the guy—

The fellow who was once the rage—

The poet, scholar—even sage—

Who ruled his world. And here is why:

He told some stories in his verse—

He liked a pounding rhythm, too—

He liked to rhyme (could do it, too!)—

And so he filled his swelling purse.

And this one has some famous lines—

Like “footsteps on the sands of time”—

(And time he matches with sublime)—

He stays within the strict confines

Of strict conventional poetry—

And so in later years he fell

From prominence (a tale to tell)—

But much he wrote appeals to me.

Link to poem.