Classic Poem

The Undertakers

I heard a cry at midnight loud,
" O do not, do not make my shroud!
I see bright joys on every hand,
I do not seek the better land. "

And I beheld a living maid
By both her parents firmly laid
Within a coffin, while a nun
Said many times, " Thy will be done. "

I saw a fool go grinning by,
Who said, " The Cross is ever nigh.
The fruit of sin in this we see;
Now who's for saints and jollity? "

And then I saw an angel burst
That hideous coffin lid accurst.
He said, " Be fruitful and enjoy
The love of some bright happy boy. "

Like birch leaves shimmering 'neath the moon,
Like silvery waves at brightest noon,
Like blue-bells on a windy day,
The merry maiden danced away.

The nun said, " Save us, Lord, from sin.
How fair the coffin she was in! "
The fool said, " Bless my soul! Alack!
No matter; white's the same as black. " English