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Poem
June 21, 1827
The Litchfield County Post
Litchfield, Litchfield County, Connecticut
What is this article about?
A heartfelt elegy mourning the poet's deceased father at his grave, cherishing memories of his guidance and love, contemplating mortality, and expressing hope for eternal reunion in the afterlife.
Clipping
OCR Quality
98%
Excellent
Full Text
MY FATHER'S GRAVE.
The mound is green, the grass is growing
O'er the newly platted grave:
Fast the tide of time is flowing,
Whelming all beneath its wave.
I joy to think that wave may bear
Me onward to a world of bliss.
That I may see and love him there
Whom I so fondly priz'd in this!
My Father!-Oh! thy name is yet
A treasured thought, and long will be.
E'en till with parting life shall set
The pole-star of my memory!
For thou to me hast been below
A guide to warn, a light to guide;
To thy unceasing love I owe
More than to all the world beside!
Thy kindness now seems doubly dear,
Since thou art gone, and gone for ever!
How bright affection's hues appear,
Which nought can dim, tho' death may sever!
So, when the summer sun departs,
And wintry darkness reigns alone,
Then o'er the memory of our hearts
Beams brighter still his brightness gone!
Parent spirit! gone before me!
Look'st thou from thy starry throne?
Haply now thou watchest o'er me.
Sorrowing at thy grave alone!
Here the world, its truth, its error,
Wealth and glory, all are vain;
Joy and sorrow, hope and terror,
Cease, where death alone can reign!
Tho grave! that frail and silent dwelling.
What is all its gloom to me?
Is not e'en its silence telling
What my own sure fate must be?
Yes:-but here awhile I gather
Flowers of memory springing fast:
Cherish'd thus for thee, my Father!
Long their grateful bloom will last!
And oh! when time and death shall sever
Me from every earthly tie.
Then, to dwell with thee for ever!
That hope will make it bliss to die!
The mound is green, the grass is growing
O'er the newly platted grave:
Fast the tide of time is flowing,
Whelming all beneath its wave.
I joy to think that wave may bear
Me onward to a world of bliss.
That I may see and love him there
Whom I so fondly priz'd in this!
My Father!-Oh! thy name is yet
A treasured thought, and long will be.
E'en till with parting life shall set
The pole-star of my memory!
For thou to me hast been below
A guide to warn, a light to guide;
To thy unceasing love I owe
More than to all the world beside!
Thy kindness now seems doubly dear,
Since thou art gone, and gone for ever!
How bright affection's hues appear,
Which nought can dim, tho' death may sever!
So, when the summer sun departs,
And wintry darkness reigns alone,
Then o'er the memory of our hearts
Beams brighter still his brightness gone!
Parent spirit! gone before me!
Look'st thou from thy starry throne?
Haply now thou watchest o'er me.
Sorrowing at thy grave alone!
Here the world, its truth, its error,
Wealth and glory, all are vain;
Joy and sorrow, hope and terror,
Cease, where death alone can reign!
Tho grave! that frail and silent dwelling.
What is all its gloom to me?
Is not e'en its silence telling
What my own sure fate must be?
Yes:-but here awhile I gather
Flowers of memory springing fast:
Cherish'd thus for thee, my Father!
Long their grateful bloom will last!
And oh! when time and death shall sever
Me from every earthly tie.
Then, to dwell with thee for ever!
That hope will make it bliss to die!
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
Religious Faith
What keywords are associated?
Father Grave
Mourning Death
Afterlife Hope
Parental Love
Memory Affection
Poem Details
Title
My Father's Grave.
Subject
Elegy For The Poet's Father
Form / Style
Rhymed Quatrains
Key Lines
The Mound Is Green, The Grass Is Growing
O'er The Newly Platted Grave:
My Father! Oh! Thy Name Is Yet
A Treasured Thought, And Long Will Be.
Parent Spirit! Gone Before Me!
Look'st Thou From Thy Starry Throne?
That Hope Will Make It Bliss To Die!
To Thy Unceasing Love I Owe
More Than To All The World Beside!