Beneath this stone lies one good man; and when We say his kindly thought towards all men Was as generous to the living as to the dead -- What more for any mortal could be said? His only enemies were those he tried To help, and failed; who blamed him, in their pride, Forgetting that his power was not as great As his intention -- and their own weak state. And if he met with men too slow to move Into the fullness of his own clear love, He looked for the fault in his own self, and not Blamed other men -- like our more common lot. His boundless trust and innocence of evil Tempted the base and mean, and helped the devil. Since such a man, without suspicion, kind, Was duped by many a false, ungrateful mind, He's gone to Heaven -- because he lived so well That many a wretch through him has gone to hell. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...IDYLLS OF THE KING: LANCELOT AND ELAINE by ALFRED TENNYSON A NEW BIRTH by EDMUND JOHN ARMSTRONG TO THE DEAD FAVOURITE OF LIU CH'E by DJUNA BARNES NATALITIUM: MARTIJ 13, 1645 by JOSEPH BEAUMONT ENCOURAGEMENT by EMILY JANE BRONTE THE FIRE SIDE; A PASTORAL SOLILOQUY by ISAAC HAWKINS BROWNE |