Thank you for visiting SNEWPapers!
Sign up free
Poem
September 17, 1832
Lynchburg Virginian
Lynchburg, Virginia
What is this article about?
Poem by schoolboy Herbert Knowles, written in a churchyard, inspired by Matthew 17:4. It meditates on rejecting tabernacles to worldly vanities like Ambition, Beauty, Pride, Riches, Pleasures, Affliction, Love, Sorrow, and Death in the graveyard, instead building to Hope and Enthusiasm through faith in Christ.
Clipping
OCR Quality
90%
Excellent
Full Text
POETICAL.
The following verses were written in a church yard by Herbert Knowles, when but a school boy. The versification is not the most harmonious, but the sentiments are so fine that I should like to see it republished.
MATTHEW XVII. 4.
Methinks it is good to be here.
If thou wilt let us build—but for whom?
Nor Elias nor Moses appear.
But the shadows of eyes that encompass the gloom—
The abode of the dead, and the place of the tomb.
Shall we build to Ambition? Oh no!
Affrighted he shrinketh away.
For see, they would chain him below,
In a small, narrow cave, and begirt with cold clay,
To the meanest of reptiles a peer and a prey.
To Beauty? Ah no! she forgets
The charms which she wielded before,
Nor knows the foul worm that he frets
The skin which but yesterday fools could adore,
For he smoothes it as it held, or the tint which it wore.
Shall we build to the purple of Pride,
Or the trappings which dazzle the proud?
Alas! they are all laid aside,
And here's neither title nor dress nor adornment allowed,
But the long winding sheet and the tinge of the shroud.
To Riches? Alas! 'tis in vain;
Who hides, in their turns, have been hid:
The treasures are squandered again,
And here in the grave are all mortals forbid
But the tinsel that shone on the dark coffin-lid.
To the Pleasures which Mirth can afford,
The revel, the laugh, and the jeer?
Ah! here is a plentiful board,
But the guests are all mute as their pitiful cheer,
And none but the worm is a reveller here.
Shall we build to Affliction and Love?
Ah no! they have withered and died.
One fled with the spirit above,
Friends, brothers and sisters, are laid side by side.
Yet none have saluted, and none have replied.
Unto Sorrow? The dead cannot grieve—
Not a sob, not a sigh meets mine ear,
Which compassion itself could relieve:
Ah! sweetly they slumber, nor pain, love, nor fear.
Peace, peace is the watch-word, the only one here.
Unto Death, to whom monarchs must bow?
Ah no! for his empire is known,
And here there are trophies to show:
Beneath, the cold dead, and around the dark stone,
Are the sighs of a sceptre that none may disown.
The first tabernacle to Hope we will build,
I look for the sleepers around us to rise!
The second to Enthusiasm, when minds are fulfilled
And led to the Lamb of the great sacrifice,
Who bequeathed us them both when he rose to the skies.
His!
The following verses were written in a church yard by Herbert Knowles, when but a school boy. The versification is not the most harmonious, but the sentiments are so fine that I should like to see it republished.
MATTHEW XVII. 4.
Methinks it is good to be here.
If thou wilt let us build—but for whom?
Nor Elias nor Moses appear.
But the shadows of eyes that encompass the gloom—
The abode of the dead, and the place of the tomb.
Shall we build to Ambition? Oh no!
Affrighted he shrinketh away.
For see, they would chain him below,
In a small, narrow cave, and begirt with cold clay,
To the meanest of reptiles a peer and a prey.
To Beauty? Ah no! she forgets
The charms which she wielded before,
Nor knows the foul worm that he frets
The skin which but yesterday fools could adore,
For he smoothes it as it held, or the tint which it wore.
Shall we build to the purple of Pride,
Or the trappings which dazzle the proud?
Alas! they are all laid aside,
And here's neither title nor dress nor adornment allowed,
But the long winding sheet and the tinge of the shroud.
To Riches? Alas! 'tis in vain;
Who hides, in their turns, have been hid:
The treasures are squandered again,
And here in the grave are all mortals forbid
But the tinsel that shone on the dark coffin-lid.
To the Pleasures which Mirth can afford,
The revel, the laugh, and the jeer?
Ah! here is a plentiful board,
But the guests are all mute as their pitiful cheer,
And none but the worm is a reveller here.
Shall we build to Affliction and Love?
Ah no! they have withered and died.
One fled with the spirit above,
Friends, brothers and sisters, are laid side by side.
Yet none have saluted, and none have replied.
Unto Sorrow? The dead cannot grieve—
Not a sob, not a sigh meets mine ear,
Which compassion itself could relieve:
Ah! sweetly they slumber, nor pain, love, nor fear.
Peace, peace is the watch-word, the only one here.
Unto Death, to whom monarchs must bow?
Ah no! for his empire is known,
And here there are trophies to show:
Beneath, the cold dead, and around the dark stone,
Are the sighs of a sceptre that none may disown.
The first tabernacle to Hope we will build,
I look for the sleepers around us to rise!
The second to Enthusiasm, when minds are fulfilled
And led to the Lamb of the great sacrifice,
Who bequeathed us them both when he rose to the skies.
His!
What sub-type of article is it?
Elegy
What themes does it cover?
Death Mourning
Religious Faith
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Churchyard Meditation
Death Reflection
Biblical Inspiration
Worldly Vanities
Hope Enthusiasm
Herbert Knowles
Matthew 17:4
What entities or persons were involved?
Herbert Knowles
Poem Details
Title
Matthew Xvii. 4.
Author
Herbert Knowles
Subject
Written In A Church Yard
Form / Style
Rhymed Stanzas
Key Lines
Methinks It Is Good To Be Here.
If Thou Wilt Let Us Build—But For Whom?
Nor Elias Nor Moses Appear.
The First Tabernacle To Hope We Will Build,
I Look For The Sleepers Around Us To Rise!
Who Bequeathed Us Them Both When He Rose To The Skies.