The Farewell to the Dead
“’Tis hard to lay into the earthA countenance so benign! a form that walk’dBut yesterday so stately o’er the earth!” Wilson.
Come near! Ere yet the dustSoil the bright paleness of the settled brow,Look on your brother; and embrace him now,In still and solemn trust!Come near!--once more let kindred lips be press’dOn his cold cheek; then bear him to his rest!
Look yet on this young face!What shall the beauty, from amongst us gone,Leave of its image, even where most it shone,Gladdening its hearth and race?Dim grows the semblance on man’s heart impress’d.Come near, and bear the beautiful to rest!
Ye weep, and it is well!For tears befit earth’s partings! Yesterday,Song was upon the lips of this pale clay,And sunshine seem’d to dwellWhere’er he moved--the welcome and the bless’d.Now gaze! and bear the silent unto rest!
Look yet on him whose eyeMeets yours no more, in sadness or in mirth.Was he not fair amidst the sons of earth,The beings born to die?--But not where death has power may love be bless’d.Come near! and bear ye the beloved to rest!
How may the mother’s heartDwell on her son, and dare to hope again?The spring’s rich promise hath been given in vain--The lovely must depart!Is he not gone, our brightest and our best?Come near! and bear the early-call’d to rest!
Look on him! Is he laidTo slumber from the harvest or the chase?--Too still and sad the smile upon his face;Yet that, even that must fade:Death holds not long unchanged his fairest guest.Come near! and bear the mortal to his rest!
His voice of mirth hath ceasedAmidst the vineyards! there is left no placeFor him whose dust receives your vain embrace,At the gay bridal-feast!Earth must take earth to moulder on her breast.Come near! weep o’er him! bear him to his rest.
Yet mourn ye not as theyWhose spirits’ light is quench’d! For him the pastIs seal’d: he may not fall, he may not castHis birthright’s hope away!All is not here of our beloved and bless’d.Leave ye the sleeper with his God to rest!
Words in this poem
- shall v. i.
- To owe; to be under obligation for. [OE. shal, schal, imp. sholde, scholde, AS. scal, sceal, I am obliged, imp. scolde, sceolde, inf. sculan; akin to OS. skulan, pres. skal, imp. skolda, D. zullen,]
- amongst prep.
- Mixed or mingled; surrounded by. [OE. amongist, amonges, amonge, among, AS. onmang, ongemang, gemang, in a crowd or mixture. For the ending -st see Amidst. See Mingle.]
- sunshine n.
- The light of the sun, or the place where it shines; the direct rays of the sun, the place where they fall, or the warmth and light which they give.
- dwell v. i.
- To delay; to linger. [OE. dwellen, dwelien, to err, linger, AS. dwellan to deceive, hinder, delay, dwelian to err; akin to Icel. dvelja to delay, tarry, Sw. dväljas to dwell, Dan. dv]
- sadness n.
- Heaviness; firmness.
- amidst prep.
- In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. [OE. amidde, amiddes, on midden, AS. on middan, in the middle, fr. midde the middle. The s is an adverbial ending, originally marking the genitive; the t is a la]
- depart v. i.
- To part; to divide; to separate. [OE. departen to divide, part, depart, F. départir to divide, distribute, se départir to separate one's self, depart; pref. dé- (L. de) + partir to part, depart,]
- moulder n.
- One who, or that which, molds or forms into shape; specifically (Founding), one skilled in the art of making molds for castings.
- sleeper n.
- One who sleeps; a slumberer; hence, a drone, or lazy person.
Definitions and etymologies from Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913.
About this text
The Farewell to the Dead is in the public domain. This text is taken from The Poems of Felicia Hemans, Project Gutenberg ebook #66785; the transcription's header, footer and licence were removed and nothing else was changed. You may copy, print and reuse it freely.
Cite as: Felicia Hemans, The Farewell to the Dead, in Poems (1808–1835), text of Project Gutenberg ebook #66785, Laurel, https://laurelpoetry.com/poem/hemans-poems/the-farewell-to-the-dead.html, id L19347.
Form and metre
The Farewell to the Dead is 51 lines in 9 stanzas. The rhyme scheme is ABBACC, complete in 7 of its 9 stanzas. The metre is iambic pentameter, measured from the stress the words themselves fix (confidence 87%).
See other poems in iambic pentameter.
Measured by Laurel's pipeline, not copied from a handbook: how stress and metre are counted, how rhyme is lettered, how a drifted rhyme is found. Where the dictionary cannot confirm a rhyme the letter is withheld, not guessed.
Rhyme words, stanza by stanza
The word that ends each line, lettered by the rhyme it makes; a dash is a line whose rhyme the dictionary could not confirm.
- 2 ABBACC dustA · browB · nowB · trustA · press'dC · restC
- 3 A--ABB faceA · gone · shone · raceA · impress'dB · restB
- 4 ABBACC wellA · yesterdayB · clayB · dwellA · bless'dC · restC
- 5 ABBACC eyeA · mirthB · earthB · dieA · bless'dC · restC
- 6 ABBACC heartA · againB · vainB · departA · bestC · restC
- 7 ABBACC laidA · chaseB · faceB · fadeA · guestC · restC
- 8 ABBACC ceasedA · placeB · embraceB · feastA · breastC · restC
- 9 ABBACC theyA · pastB · castB · awayA · bless'dC · restC
Scansion, line by line
Each line with its syllable count and the stresses the words themselves fix: / stressed, ˘ unstressed, · a syllable the word leaves free and the metre decides. Read against iambic pentameter. How this is done.
| Line | Syl. | Stress |
|---|---|---|
| “’Tis hard to lay into the earth | 8 | ········ |
| A countenance so benign! a form that walk’d | 10 | ·/˘·˘/···· |
| But yesterday so stately o’er the earth!” Wilson. | 12 | ·/˘··/˘···/˘ |
| Come near! Ere yet the dust | 6 | ······ |
| Soil the bright paleness of the settled brow, | 10 | ···/˘··/˘· |
| Look on your brother; and embrace him now, | 10 | ···/˘·˘/·· |
| In still and solemn trust! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Come near!--once more let kindred lips be press’d | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| On his cold cheek; then bear him to his rest! | 10 | ·········· |
| Look yet on this young face! | 6 | ······ |
| What shall the beauty, from amongst us gone, | 10 | ···/˘····· |
| Leave of its image, even where most it shone, | 10 | ···/˘/···· |
| Gladdening its hearth and race? | 7 | /˘˘···· |
| Dim grows the semblance on man’s heart impress’d. | 10 | ···/˘···˘/ |
| Come near, and bear the beautiful to rest! | 10 | ·····/˘˘·· |
| Ye weep, and it is well! | 6 | ······ |
| For tears befit earth’s partings! Yesterday, | 10 | ··˘/·/˘/˘· |
| Song was upon the lips of this pale clay, | 10 | ·········· |
| And sunshine seem’d to dwell | 6 | ·/···· |
| Where’er he moved--the welcome and the bless’d. | 11 | ˘˘/···/˘··· |
| Now gaze! and bear the silent unto rest! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Look yet on him whose eye | 6 | ······ |
| Meets yours no more, in sadness or in mirth. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Was he not fair amidst the sons of earth, | 10 | ····˘/···· |
| The beings born to die?-- | 6 | ·/˘··· |
| But not where death has power may love be bless’d. | 10 | ·····/···· |
| Come near! and bear ye the beloved to rest! | 10 | ······˘/·· |
| How may the mother’s heart | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Dwell on her son, and dare to hope again? | 10 | ········˘/ |
| The spring’s rich promise hath been given in vain-- | 10 | ···/˘··/·· |
| The lovely must depart! | 6 | ·/˘·˘/ |
| Is he not gone, our brightest and our best? | 10 | ····//˘·/· |
| Come near! and bear the early-call’d to rest! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Look on him! Is he laid | 6 | ······ |
| To slumber from the harvest or the chase?-- | 10 | ·/˘··/˘··· |
| Too still and sad the smile upon his face; | 10 | ·········· |
| Yet that, even that must fade: | 7 | ··/˘··· |
| Death holds not long unchanged his fairest guest. | 10 | ····˘/·/˘· |
| Come near! and bear the mortal to his rest! | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| His voice of mirth hath ceased | 6 | ······ |
| Amidst the vineyards! there is left no place | 10 | ˘/·/˘····· |
| For him whose dust receives your vain embrace, | 10 | ····˘/··˘/ |
| At the gay bridal-feast! | 6 | ···/˘· |
| Earth must take earth to moulder on her breast. | 10 | ·····/˘··· |
| Come near! weep o’er him! bear him to his rest. | 10 | ·········· |
| Yet mourn ye not as they | 6 | ······ |
| Whose spirits’ light is quench’d! For him the past | 10 | ·/˘······· |
| Is seal’d: he may not fall, he may not cast | 10 | ·········· |
| His birthright’s hope away! | 6 | ·/··˘/ |
| All is not here of our beloved and bless’d. | 10 | ·····/˘/·· |
| Leave ye the sleeper with his God to rest! | 10 | ···/˘····· |
The reader shows the same poem with its rhymes coloured and a stress row above each line, the notes beside their stanzas, and any word's definition on a tap; the analysis page takes the whole book apart. How every part of this site was made.