XX. I. ABOVE the bard's neglected grave We plant thee, honouring bay!— Here verdantly thy boughs shall wave Triumphant o'er decay. Fit emblem of the fadeless fame Which, like thy living wreath, The Muse has twined around the name Of him who sleeps beneath. II. We plant thee in no pomp of grief To add one shade to gloom; Then freshly spring, unwithering leaf, And grace the Poet's tomb; Where Friendship soon may cease to mourn, Soon Love forget to weep, Yet Fame shall o'er her favourite's urn Unwearied vigils keep. III. We plant thee not for him whose lips Are hushed—whose heart is cold— The spirit wrapped in death's eclipse Heeds not its mortal mould! But thou, here flourishing alone, Mayest guide the wandering eyes Of him who seeks the lowly stone Which tells "Here Churchill lies!" | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE LAST MAN'S CLUB by JAMES GALVIN IDEA: 14. TO TIME by MICHAEL DRAYTON SPEAKIN' O' CHRISTMAS by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR HYMN: FIRST SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY: 2 by REGINALD HEBER ELIOT'S OAK; SONNET by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW |