 | Voices from the Lakes, and Other Poems |  |
120
LIFE OR DEATH.
The people thro' the Churchyard go,The Living thro' the Dead—
The Dead that sleep so calm below,
Each in his narrow bed.
The Living, full of hopes and fears,
The Dead, so quiet and so still;
The Living, weeping bitter tears;
The Dead, beyond the reach of ill.
The Living, needing cure and balm,
With weariness within their eyes;
The Dead, with faces all so calm,
Not vexed with sorrow or surprise;
Their lot removed from loss and pain,
And aching thoughts and throbbing brain.
Ah, which is best—to live and weep,
Or in the grave with Christ to sleep,
No scorn or wrong to wring the breast,
Or break the tranquil spirit's rest!
| Voices from the Lakes, and Other Poems | |