translation

[jmh2672]

Hi teachers
Could you help me to understand A salm of life by Longfellow?
Firstly
And our hearts , through stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.
What is a good translation of " are beating funeral marches to the grave?
Sencondly
In the last stanza
Let us then be up and doing
With a heart for any fate:
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.
I wonder what "with a heart" means here.
Some translates a heart as courage , but as I know when it is used as courage it cannot be a countable noun.
Thank you in asvance and happy new year.

[Casiopea]

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.

What is a good translation of "are beating funeral marches to the grave?

Each heartbeat brings you closer to the end of your life.

I wonder what "with a heart" means here.

"courage" fits nicely: With courage for any fate.

Let us, then, be up and doing,
With a heart for any fate;
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labour and to wait,

Keep pursuing your goals no matter what the outcome.

Source

[Casiopea]

Hi, jmh.

My corrections are in green.

Could you help me to understand A Psalm of life by Longfellow?

Firstly, what is a good translation of "are beating funeral marches to the grave"?

And our hearts , through stout and brave,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating
Funeral marches to the grave.

Secondly, in the last stanza, I wonder what "with a heart" means here. Some translate a heart as courage, but courage cannot be a countable noun.

Let us then be up and doing
With a heart for any fate:
Still achieving, still pursuing,
Learn to labor and to wait.

Thank you in advance.