Beside the dead man two veil’d women sit;
All the night long over the catafalque
Twelve tapers burn; from many a precious stalk
Lilies as white as sunshine ever lit
Their fine funereal fragrancy emit.
‘Trifles!’
Yet outside do the heedless walk,
Outside the Elys?e the godless talk,
Outside the Elys?e is prayerless wit.
Within, the quiet demonstration lies
That the one strength which makes the struggler true
Is in the silent sweetness of belief,
Is in the triple immortalities
Call’d God, creed, prayer. Thus we console our grief,
And half the heav’n of France grows almost blue.
(Archbishop William Alexander)
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Based on Topics: God Poems, Night Poems, Belief & Faith Poems, Prayers Poems, Grief Poems, Wit PoemsBased on Keywords: demonstration, godless, emit, prayerless, fragrancy, struggler, catafalque, immortalities, elys