“The place is purified with hope—
The hope, that is, of prayer;
And human love, and heavenward thought,
And pious faith, are there!
The wild flowers spring amid the grass,
And many a stone appears
Carved by affection’s memory,
Wet with affection’s tears.
“The golden chord which binds us all
Is loosed, not rent in twain;
And love, and hope, and fear, unite
To bring the past again.
But this grave is so desolate,
With no remembering stone,
No fellow-graves for sympathy,—
’Tis utterly alone!
“I do not know who sleeps beneath,
His history or name,
Whether, if lonely in his life,
He is in death the same,—
Whether he died unloved, unmourn’d,
The last leaf on the bough,
Or if some desolated hearth
Is weeping for him now?
“Perhaps this is too fanciful,
Though single be his sod,
Yet not the less it has around
The presence of his God!
It may be weakness of the heart,
But yet its kindliest, best;
Better if in our selfish world
It could be less repress’d.
“Those gentler charities which draw
Man closer with his kind,
Those sweet humilities which make
The music which they find:
How many a bitter word ’t would hush,
How many a pang ’t would save,
If life more precious held those ties
Which sanctify the grave.”
Now (1860) the grave-stone has received two additional inscriptions, and the character of the upright stone has been altered.
John Reeve’s grave (“alas, poor Yorick!”) is in the first avenue at the back of the church, to the left hand, and immediately at the edge of the path that runs parallel with the north side of the building. The stone, which is similar to others in the same vicinity, is inscribed:—
in memory
of
iohn reeve esq.
late of the
theatre royal adelphi.
obiit january. 24th. 1838.also of
iohn reeve esq.
uncle of the above
obiit jany. 22nd. 1831 aged 71.