Poetry Archives

Shall our memories live, when the sod rolls above us
  And marks our last home with a mouldering heap?
Shall the voices of those who profess that they love us
  E’er mention our names, as we dreamlessly sleep?

Will their eyes ever dim at some fond recollection,
  Or their hands ever plant a small flower o’er the breast,
Or will they gaze with a sad circumspection
  At the tablets, which tell of our last solemn rest?

Ah! soon shall the hearts which our memories cherish
  Forget, as they strive with the cares of their own;
And even the last dim remembrance shall perish
  As we peacefully slumber, unwept and unknown.

But if our lives, though of transient duration,
  Are filled with some work in humanity’s name,
Some uplifting effort, or self-immolation,
  Our memories shall live in the temples of Fame.