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Poem
September 22, 1836
The North Carolina Standard
Raleigh, Wake County, North Carolina
What is this article about?
A philosophical poem in three stanzas metaphorically describing life as elusive hopes, death as an inevitable and dreaded unknown, and eternity as an endless, unchanging expanse.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
LIFE, DEATH AND ETERNITY.
A shadow moving by one's side,
That would a substance seem,
That is, yet is not—though descried
Like skies beneath the stream;
A tree that's ever in the bloom,
Whose fruit is never ripe,
A wish for joys that never come—
Such are the hopes of Life.
A dark inevitable day,
A blank that will remain;
A waiting for the morning light,
Where waiting is in vain;
A gulf where pathway never led
To show the depth beneath;
A thing we know not—yet we dread—
That dreaded thing is Death.
The vaulted void of purple sky
That everywhere extends,
That stretches from the dazzled eye,
In space that never ends;
A morning where uprisen sun
No setting e'er shall see;
A day that comes without a noon—
Such is Eternity.
A shadow moving by one's side,
That would a substance seem,
That is, yet is not—though descried
Like skies beneath the stream;
A tree that's ever in the bloom,
Whose fruit is never ripe,
A wish for joys that never come—
Such are the hopes of Life.
A dark inevitable day,
A blank that will remain;
A waiting for the morning light,
Where waiting is in vain;
A gulf where pathway never led
To show the depth beneath;
A thing we know not—yet we dread—
That dreaded thing is Death.
The vaulted void of purple sky
That everywhere extends,
That stretches from the dazzled eye,
In space that never ends;
A morning where uprisen sun
No setting e'er shall see;
A day that comes without a noon—
Such is Eternity.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ode
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Life Hopes
Death Dread
Eternity Void
Metaphorical Descriptions
Philosophical Reflection
Poem Details
Title
Life, Death And Eternity.
Key Lines
Such Are The Hopes Of Life.
That Dreaded Thing Is Death.
Such Is Eternity.