William Baxter Reflections in a Cemetery (1844)

 

T H E   L A D I E S '   R E P O S I T O R Y .
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CINCINNATI, OCTOBER, 1844.

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O r i g i n a l .
R E F L E C T I O N S   I N   A   C E M E T E R Y .
BY WILLIAM BAXTER.
HERE, in this calm, sequester'd spot
    Repose the silent dead,
And oft, at dewy eve, the tear
    Falls on their dreamless bed.
Here fond affection's streaming eye
    Will oft delight to turn,
To pour its silent tribute forth
    Upon the mold'ring urn;
And oft, when spring's first flow'rets wake
    From out their wintry bed,
The hands of guileless childhood shall
    Bestrew them o'er the dead.
Here age and youth together lie:
    The sire, the babe, are here:
The mother, sister, brother, friend,
    And all the heart holds dear.
At mem'ry's call those sainted forms
    Oft seem to hover nigh,
And whisper in the spirit's ear,
    "Come meet us in the sky."
And, O, what thoughts come rushing in
    Upon the burden'd heart!
And sweeter tones than those of earth
    Oft call us to depart,
To meet them in those realms of light,
    Where, from all sorrow free,
The soul enjoys the glorious gift
    Of immortality.
In such a hallow'd spot as this,
    When earth's vain scenes shall close,
I'd gladly lay my wearied head,
    And there find sweet repose.

 

[The Ladies' Repository 4 (October 1844): 294.]

ABOUT THE ELECTRONIC EDITION

      William Baxter's "Reflections in a Cemetery" was first published in The Ladies' Repository, and Gatherings of the West: A Monthly Periodical Devoted to Literature and Religion, Vol. 4, No. 10, October 1844, p. 294. This volume, edited by E. Thomson, was published in Cincinnati by L. Swormstedt and J. T. Mitchell for the Methodist Episcopal Church.

      Addenda and corrigenda are earnestly solicited.

Ernie Stefanik
Derry, PA

Created 6 April 2000.
Updated 28 June 2003.

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