 | The Fall of the Leaf |  |
75
VII. INSCRIPTION FOR A CEMETERY.
WRITTEN IN THE CHURCHYARD OF BRITTON-FERRY, GLAMORGANSHIRE.
When death has stolen our dearest friends away,
Some tears to shed is graceful:—but to mourn
Loudly and deeply, that their pains are o'er,
Is but to prove we loved ourselves the most.
Some tears to shed is graceful:—but to mourn
Loudly and deeply, that their pains are o'er,
Is but to prove we loved ourselves the most.
To bear misfortune with an equal mind;
To mount the aspiring pinnacle of fame,
With a warm heart, and temperate resolve;
To curb the rage, that prompts to wild revenge;
To pay the malice of an envious throng
With pity and forgiveness; and to weep,
With tears of joy, that our most “useful” friend
Has paid the debt eternity demands;
Alike bespeak nobility of mind,
And the proud hope, that heaven's decrees are just.
To mount the aspiring pinnacle of fame,
With a warm heart, and temperate resolve;
To curb the rage, that prompts to wild revenge;
To pay the malice of an envious throng
With pity and forgiveness; and to weep,
With tears of joy, that our most “useful” friend
Has paid the debt eternity demands;
Alike bespeak nobility of mind,
And the proud hope, that heaven's decrees are just.
Stranger!—of peasant or of royal line!
Treasure these thoughts; and autumn's yellow leaf
Shall never fill thine aged eyes with tears!
Treasure these thoughts; and autumn's yellow leaf
Shall never fill thine aged eyes with tears!
| The Fall of the Leaf | |