NOT long thy voice amongst us may be heard, Servant of God! -- thy day is almost done; The charm now lingering in thy look and word Is that which hangs about thy setting sun -- That which the meekness of decay hath won Still from revering love. Yet doth the sense Of life immortal -- progress but begun -- Pervade thy mien with such clear eloquence, That hope, not sadness, breathes from thy decline; And the loved flowers which round thee smile farewell Of more than vernal glory seem to tell, By the pure spirit touched with light Divine; While we, to whom its parting gleams are given, Forget the grave in trustful thoughts of heaven. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...EPITAPH ON THE LADY MARY VILLIERS [OR VILLERS] (1) by THOMAS CAREW AT CASTERBRIDGE FAIR: 2. FORMER BEAUTIES by THOMAS HARDY SONNET: 20 by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE FALSE FRIEND by GHALIB IBN RIBAH AL-HAJJAM HAWTHORN by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN |