]> <hi rend="bold">"What Is Life?" Poem by Edmund D. Covington, March 1844; The North Carolina University Magazine 1 (March 1844): 37-38:</hi> Electronic Edition. Covington, Edmund DeBerry, 1823-1845 Erika Lindemann Funding from the State Library of North Carolina supported the electronic publication of this title. Text transcribed by Erika Lindemann Images scanned by Mara E. Dabrishus Text encoded by Risa Mulligan First Edition, 2005 ca. 9K The University Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina 2005

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 <hi rend="italics">True and Candid Compositions: The Lives and Writings of Antebellum Students in North Carolina</hi> written by Lindemann, Erika "What Is Life?" Poem by Edmund D. Covington, March 1844 <hi rend="italics">The North Carolina University Magazine</hi> 1 (March 1844): 37-38 Edmund DeBerry Covington 2 pages, 2 page images 1844 North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Call number VC378 UQm 1844 (North Carolina Collection, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)

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 Library of Congress Subject Headings Erika's vocab English Examples of Student Writing/Fiction, Poetry, Character Sketches Religion and Philosophy/Christianity and Christian Theology 2005-05-23, Risa Mulligan finished TEI/XML encoding Document Summary

Covington's poem rejects several definitions of life to accept one based on a spirit of love and gratitude for life's blessings, including the hope of Heaven.

 "What Is Life?" Poem by Edmund D. Covington, March 1844; The North Carolina University Magazine 1 (March 1844): 37-381 WHAT IS LIFE? Is it life to see the hours Of youth's gay spring unheeded fly, To droop in sadness, as the flowers, We nurtured early, fade and die? Is it life to feel the glow Of love warm springing in our breast, Chilled in its currents, as they flow, The moment when we felt most blest? To feel that childhood's joys are past, That sorrowing age is stealing on, No hope to cheer our heart at last When all except our cares are gone. No scene, no light of other days, Of early joys remote from strife, By which through memory to gaze On youth awhile,—this is not life. To feel a spirit in us move, Some kindred tie with man to own, To know that there are those who love, And smile on us when others frown. To feel that youth was not unblest, Nor manhood bowed with hopeless grief, When age shall find our souls at rest In hopes of Heaven. This—This is life.

1. The North Carolina University Magazine 1 ( March 1844): 37-38, NCC. Covington's poem was drafted on page 16 of his journal. An entry dated January 23, 1843, explains: "wrote some poetry tonight—a little piece entitled—'What is life?—but I dont know that my muse solved the question!" (Edmund De Berry Covington Papers, SHC). The poem as it appeared in The North Carolina University Magazine serves as copy-text.