The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
Some men with swords may reap the field,
And plant fresh laurels where they kill:
But their strong nerves at last must yield;
They tame but one another still:
Early or late
They stoop to fate,
And must give up their murmuring breath
When they, pale captives, creep to death.
The garlands wither on your brow;
Then boast no more your mighty deeds;
Upon Death’s purple altar now
See where the victor-victim bleeds:
Your heads must come
To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.
Funeral Poems & Readings
Death The Leveller
A funeral poem for comfort during unsettling times
Death The Leveller
More Funeral Poems
My Lost Love
I have only just lost you; the pain is hard to bear. Do I have to go through life knowing you’re not there? Please, someone …
The Last Invocation
At the last, tenderly, From the walls of the powerful fortress‘d house, From the clasp of the knitted locks, from the keep of the well-closed …
Love Lives Beyond the Tomb
And earth, which fades like dew: I love the fond, The faithful, and the true. Love lives in sleep: Tis happiness of healthy dreams: Eve‘s …
One More Day
I wish for nothing more Than just one more day, For I would give it all Just to hear her say. It’s funny how In …
Songs of the Death of Children (Kindertotenlieder)
You must not shut the night inside you, But endlessly in light the dark immerse. A tiny lamp has gone out in my tent – …
Remembrance
When to the sessions of sweet silent thought I summon up remembrance of things past, I sigh the lack of many a thing I sought, …
My Mother, My Angel
Once upon a time an angel held my hand. She wiped away my tears and helped me understand Our time on Earth is brief; there …
To Those I Love
If I should ever leave you whom I love To go along the Silent Way, Grieve not, Nor speak of me with tears, But laugh …
Sometimes
Sometimes I catch a glimpse, In softened waves of blue, My child, my heart …when I see a smile, I can’t help but think of …
Love Shines Through
Like a shadow in the moonlight Like the whisper of the seas Like the echoes of a melody Just beyond our reach In the shadow …
Crossing the Bar
Sunset and evening star And one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar, When I put out to sea, …
Time Does Not Bring Relief
Time does not bring relief; you all have lied Who told me time would ease me of my pain! I miss him in the weeping …
All That Was Her
Where’s she gone, the one we knew, The one we knew and loved, Who knew us all and loved us all – Where now is …
Time Is Meant To Heal
Although unheard, I thank you For always being there. Even when you were bedridden, You always seemed to care. You meant so much to all …
Elegy
OÂ snatch’d away in beauty’s bloom!On thee shall press no ponderous tomb;But on thy turf shall roses rearTheir leaves, the earliest of the year,And the wild …
