HOW cold are the dead in the depths of the grave,
Still and dark is their gloomy abode;
And long are the reeds that so solemnly wave
O’er the tomb that affection bestow’d.
These are the frail monuments grandeur will raise
O’er those, to the grave, that descend;
But the living memorial that never decays,
Is lodged in the heart of a friend.
This will last till the spirit is freed from the clod,
Which envelopes the essence divine;
It may add to the treasures reserv’d for the just,
Which with lustre celestial shall shine.
The sun sheds his rays to enliven the green,
And sports on the breast of the wave;
But where are the rays to enliven the form
That is lodg’d in the depths of the grave?
Yet this is the spot sensibility seeks,
There it weeps o’er the slumbering dead;
And this is the spot where fond friendship resorts,
Affection’s sad tribute to shed.
Perhaps tho’ withdrawn from this cottage of clay,
The spirit may sometimes descend;
Still owning the ties that had bound it below,
It may comfort the heart of a friend.
To cherish the feeling we fly to the spot,
The mansions of sorrow to tread;
For there lies the hand that, with blossoms so sweet,
Life’s rough thorny pathway once spread.
How heedless the traveller passes along,
He does not to sorrow attend;
But the long flowing grass and the stonecover’d grave,
These speak to the heart of a friend.
Impressively these to the spirit convey
A comfort nought else can impart;
And while we are musing, they silently pour
A balm on the stillbleeding heart.
These enjoyments are sacred, and who shall explain
How such scenes can a comfort bestow;
The stoic may reason, and reason in vain,
On a pleasure he never shall know.
He never the mental delights shall partake,
Which refin’d sensibility knows;
Those only can taste them who wait at her shrine,
Or can tell of the bliss she bestows.
(Elizabeth Bath)
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Based on Topics: Life Poems, Sadness Poems, Friendship Poems, Happiness Poems, Pleasure Poems, Reasoning Poems, Emotions Poems, Affection PoemsBased on Keywords: enliven, reserv, resorts, lodg, sensibility, enjoyments, envelopes, impressively