Would thou wert fadeless as the sky,
All redolent of hope and gladness,
But soon, alas! thou’lt lonely lie,
Emblem of Death, of Grief, of Sadness.
Emblem of Life! thing of an hour,
How soon thou’lt hang thy sickly head,
And bow beneath the conqueror’s power,
And lie among the sleeping dead!
Emblem of Life! beyond the tomb,
Thy flowers again shall form a wreath;