這是我父親去世時一位朋友送給我的,

WHY should we weep for those who die?
They fall--their dust returns to dust;
Their souls shall live eternally
Within the mansions of the just.

They die to live--they sink to rise,
They leave this wretched mortal shore;
But brighter suns and bluer skies
Shall smile on them for evermore.

Why should we sorrow for the dead?
Our life on earth is but a span;
They tread the path that all must tread,
They die the common death of man.

The noblest songster of the gale
Must cease, when Winter's frowns appear;
The reddest rose is wan and pale,
When Autumn tints the changing year.

The fairest flower on earth must fade,
The brightest hopes on earth must die:
Why should we mourn that man was made
To droop on earth, but dwell on high?

The soul, th' eternal soul, must reign
In worlds devoid of pain or strife;
Then why should mortal man complain
Of death, which leads to happier life?