The Resting Place

“Because I live, ye shall live also.”

Calmly the Paschal moonlight now is sleeping

On mossy hillock and on headstone grey,

Where still our Mother holds in faithful keeping

Such as, while living, in her dear arms lay.

Ah! loving and beloved, we know ye rest,

E’en in the grave, upon her hallow’d breast.

Where is the cumbrous robe-the flesh-the matter

Which held the spirit in such painful thrall?

A little dust that scarce a breath would scatter,

Darkness, and void, and silence-this seems all.

Yet somewhere, safe, the waiting body lies,

While the freed spirit is in Paradise.

Ah! in that day, when earth is all refinèd

From death and sin, the darkness and the stain;

When Eden’s perfect beauty is enshrinèd

In unmarred purity and light again;

Transfigured, and “exceeding white as snow”-

But still that body-it will rise, we know.

The self-same lips that hymn’d the Easter story

With heart of Easter gladness, here, may sing

The song of angels, in the angels’ glory,

Around the throne of our Almighty King.

The same feet, which this ancient pavement trod,

May walk for aye the temple-courts of God.

O blessed day, which saw the Saviour risen!

Which told to trembling man that wondrous news-

“The grave is not thy body’s endless prison,

Thy soul no more in vain for pardon sues.

From Adam’s curse, by Christ’s death, thou art free-

The Lord accepts this sacrifice for thee.”

“Peace be with you”-by Him those words were spoken

After the glorious victory was won-

After the angel gave that blessed token

To her whose favour’d lips had called him “Son.”

Ah! where were peace, if every trembling breath

Strengthen’d the fetters of an endless death?

Where were the peace, if that dark cloud of mourning

From Calvary’s hill had never pass’d away?

If our deep night had never known the dawning

Of that mysterious Resurrection-day?

O Christ our Lord! Thou didst indeed release

Thy sinful children, and didst give them peace.

And now we know that Thou art throned for ever,

True God, and yet true man, in heaven above;

That now no power our life from Thine can sever,

That naught shall rob us of Thy gift of love;

That Thou, within the veil, dost intercede

For all who suffer and for all in need.

That Thou art with us here, too, in our sorrow-

With us to help in every time of strife,

Dost give to each dark day its joyous morrow,

Dost make us strong with Thine own love and life.

And we may love, and we may come to Thee

In heaven, and share Thy great felicity!

Ay, when the grass upon our grave is sighing

In the cool wind and Easter moonlight fair,

The mortal dust, beneath the violets lying,

Shall rest in hope and rest in safety there,

Till Thou shalt come with Thy celestial train,

And our bright spirit take its own again.

“After Thy likeness,” in its sweet perfection,

Shall we awake in that eternal day;

All-save the sin-shall have its resurrection,

Clothed in Thy glorious immortality.

And we shall stand Thy radiant throne beside,

Blessed for evermore, and-satisfied!

Poetry Monster – Home

A few random poems:

External links

Bat’s Poetry Page – more poetry by Fledermaus

Talking Writing Monster’s Page –

Batty Writing – the bat’s idle chatter, thoughts, ideas and observations, all original, all fresh

Poems in English 

• Gravity Suspended by Poetry In English
• From Death by Poetry In English
• Forfeiture by Poetry In English
• For My Mother by Poetry In English
• Fly Fly Butterfly by Poetry In English
• Even The Rain by Poetry In English
• Destiny Far Away by Poetry In English
• Conversation by Poetry In English
• Calling All Angels by Poetry In English
• At The Locks Of The Void by Poetry In English
• Anthem by Poetry In English
• All In A Word by Poetry In English
• A Teenage Pregnancy by Poetry In English
• A Painting Morning by Poetry In English
• A Child Of War by Poetry In English
• Your Dream by Poetry In English
• Ars Poetica by Poetry In English
• The Vision Of Cassandra by Aeschylus Αἰσχύλος Эсхил
• The Sacrifice Of Iphigenia by Aeschylus Αἰσχύλος Эсхил
• The Lament Of The Old Nurse by Aeschylus Αἰσχύλος Эсхил

More external links (open in a new tab):

Russian Commerce Agency

Dealing Monster

Doska or the Board – write anything

Search engines:

Yandex – the best search engine for searches in Russian (and the best overall image search engine, in any language, anywhere)

Qwant – the best search engine for searches in French, German as well as Romance and Germanic languages.

Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees

Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.

Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.

 

Parallel Translations of Poetry

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The Poetry Repository – an online library of poems, poetry, verse and poetic works