THE CONSECRATION OF A CEMETERY.
[_]
Written June 6, 1857, for the dedication of Newton Cemetery; also sung at dedication of Rose Hill Cemetery, Chicago, Ill.
Deep 'mid these dim and silent shades
The slumbering dead shall lie,
Tranquil as summer evening fades
Along the western sky.
The whispering winds shall linger here
To lull their deep repose,—
Like music on the dewy air,
Like nightfall on the rose.
Light through the twining boughs shall shed
Its calm and cheerful ray,
As hope springs from the dying bed
And points to perfect day.
Around each funeral urn shall cling
The fairest, freshest flowers,—
Emblem of heaven's eternal spring,
And brighter lands than ours.
Gathered from thousand homes, the dust
In soft repose shall lie,
Like garnered seed in holy trust
For immortality.
Room for the households! till the morn
Its glories shall restore,
And on the silent sleepers dawn
The day that fades no more.
