The Grave-Digger
Here underneath the sod,
Where night till now hath been,
With every lifted clod
I let the sunshine in.
How dark soe’er the gloom
Of Death’s approaching shade,
The first within the tomb
Is light, that cannot fade.
And from the deepest grave
I banish it in vain;
For, like a tidal wave,
Anon ’twill come again.
Intimations
I knew the flowers had dreamed of you,
And hailed the morning with regret;
For all their faces with the dew
Of vanished joy were wet.
I knew the winds had passed your way,
Though not a sound the truth betrayed;
About their pinions all the day
A summer fragrance stayed.
And so, awaking or asleep,
A memory of lost delight
By day the sightless breezes keep,
And silent flowers by night.
Aspiration
I envy not the sun
His lavish light;
But O to be the one
Pale orb of night,
In silence and alone
Communing with mine own!
I envy not the rain
That freshens all
The parching hill and plain;
But O the small
Night-dewdrop now to be,
My noonday flower, for thee!
Consummation
The interval
We both recall,
To each was all—
A moment’s space
That time nor place
Can e’er efface.
’Tis all our own—
A secret known
To us alone:
My life to thee,
As thine to me,
Eternity.
Finis
O to be with thee sinking to thy rest,
Thy journey done;
The world thou leavest blessing thee and blest,
O setting sun;
The clouds, that ne’er the morning joys forget,
Again aglow,
And leaf and flower with tears of twilight wet
To see thee go.
John B. Tabb [1]
For a recitation, click the play button:
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“The Grave-Digger”: Later Poems, p. 86; Poetry, p. 186. March 1907. Anon means soon.
“Intimations”: Poems, p. 24; Poetry, p. 153. May 1891.
“Aspiration”: Later Lyrics, p. 2; Poetry, p. 250. September 1900.
“Consummation”: Later Lyrics, p. 14; Poetry, p. 252. 1902. Consummation is completion or finalization.
“Finis”: Later Poems, p. 51; Poetry, p. 249. 1910. Finis: Latin, the end.