Hope on, hope ever, though you deck loved tresses
With trembling fingers for the silent grave;
Though cold the cheek beneath your fond caresses,
Look up, true Christian soul; be calm, be brave!
Hope on, hope ever. Though your hearts be breaking,
Let flowers of Resignation wreathe your cross,
Deep in your heart some heavenly wisdom waking,
For mortal life is full of change and loss.
Hope on, hope ever, for long-vanished faces
Watch for your coming on the golden shore,