Beside the dead I knelt for prayer, And felt a presence as I prayed. Lo! it was Jesus standing there. He smiled: "Be not afraid!" "Lord, Thou hast conquered death we know; Restore again to life," I said, "This one who died an hour ago." He smiled: "She is not dead!" "Asleep then, as thyself did say; Yet thou canst lift the lids that keep Her prisoned eyes from ours away!" He smiled: "She doth not sleep!" "Nay then, tho' haply she do wake, And look upon some fairer dawn, Restore her to our hearts that ache!" He smiled: "She is not gone!" "Alas! too well we know our loss, Nor hope again our joy to touch, Until the stream of death we cross." He smiled: "There is no such!" "Yet our beloved seem so far, The while we yearn to feel them near, Albeit with Thee we trust they are." He smiled: "And I am here!" "Dear Lord, how shall we know that they Still walk unseen with us and Thee, Nor sleep, nor wander far away?" He smiled: "Abide in Me." |