William Cullen Bryant

Sonnet To----

Ay, thou art for the grave; thy glances shine
    Too brightly to shine long; another Spring
Shall deck her for men's eyes,—but not for thine—
    Sealed in a sleep which knows no wakening.
The fields for thee have no medicinal leaf,
    And the vexed ore no mineral of power;
And they who love thee wait in anxious grief
    Till the slow plague shall bring the fatal hour.
Glide softly to thy rest then; Death should come
    Gently, to one of gentle mould like thee,
As light winds wandering through groves of bloom
    Detach the delicate blossom from the tree.
Close thy sweet eyes, calmly, and without pain;
And we will trust in God to see thee yet again.