 | The Dream and Other Poems |  |
264
WEEP NOT FOR HIM THAT DIETH.
“Weep ye not for the dead, neither bemoan him; but weep sore for him that goeth away, for he shall return no more, nor see his native country.”— Jeremiah xxii. 10.
I
Weep not for him that dieth—For he sleeps, and is at rest;
And the couch whereon he lieth
Is the green earth's quiet breast:
But weep for him who pineth
On a far land's hateful shore,
Who wearily declineth
Where ye see his face no more!
II
Weep not for him that dieth,For friends are round his bed,
And many a young lip sigheth
When they name the early dead;
265
Where none will know or care,
When the groan his faint heart giveth
Is the last sigh of despair.
III
Weep not for him that dieth,For his struggling soul is free,
And the world from which it flieth
Is a world of misery;
But weep for him that weareth
The captive's galling chain:
To the agony he beareth,
Death were but little pain.
IV
Weep not for him that dieth,For he hath ceased from tears,
And a voice to his replieth
Which he hath not heard for years;
But weep for him who weepeth
On that cold land's cruel shore—
Blest, blest is he that sleepeth,—
Weep for the dead no more!
| The Dream and Other Poems | |