Lines On the Burial of Mrs. Mary L. Ward, at Dale Cemetery, Sing-Sing, May 3, 1853.
The knell was tolled--the requiem sung, The solemn burial-service read; And tributes from the heart and tongue Were rendered to the dead. The dead?--Religion answers, "No! She is not dead--She can not die! A mortal left this vale of wo!-- An angel lives on high!" The earth upon her coffin-lid Sounded a hollow, harsh adieu! The mound arose, and she was hid For ever from the view! For ever?--Drearily the thought Passed, like an ice-bolt, through the brain; When Faith the recollection brought That we shall meet again. The mourners wound their silent way Adown the mountain's gentle slope, Which, basking in the smile of May, Looked cheerfully as hope. As hope?--What hope?--That boundless One God in His love and mercy gave; Which brightens, with salvation's sun, The darkness of the grave.
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"The knell was tolled--the requiem sung,..."
George Pope Morris's contribution to classic is further solidified by the brilliance found in "Lines On the Burial of Mrs. Mary L. Ward, at Dale Cemetery, Sing-Sing, May 3, 1853."... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...