Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, LIFE AND DEATH, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

LIFE AND DEATH, by                    
First Line: What is the life of man?
Last Line: A spirit's joy which death can never kill
Subject(s): Death;life; "dead, The;


WHAT is the life of man? A passing shade
Upon the changeful mirror of old Time;
A sear leaf, long ere autumn comes decayed;
A plant or tree that scantly reaches prime;
A dew-drop of the morning gone ere noon;
A meteor expiring in its fall;
A blade of grass that springs to wither soon;
A dying taper on a darksome pall;
The foam upon the torrent's whirling wave;
A bird that flutters on a drooping wing;
A shadowy spectre o'er an open grave;
A morning-glory's moments in the spring;
A breaking bubble on a rushing stream;
A sunset after storm, an erring angel's dream.

What is this death we fear? The peaceful close
Of stormy life -- of reckless passion's sway;
The evil that mantles all our cares and woes;
The heavenly ending of an earthly day;
The crown of time well spent; the portal fair
Which opes the way to never-ending joy;
It sets the captive spirit free as air,
From all the fetters which on earth annoy.
What is this death? The sleep the pilgrim takes
After much weary travail he has known,
And whence with renovated power he wakes,
His soul more mighty for its slumber grown;
The glorious conquest over human ill;
A spirit's joy which death can never kill.





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