Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Oceanica: Vol. XXXI. 1876–79. | | | | Various Islands: Madeira | | Inscription for the Grave of Anna D’Arfet | | Robert à Machin |
| | (Translated by W. L. Bowles, from The Spirit of Discovery by Sea) |
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O’ER my poor Anna’s lowly grave | |
| No dirge shall sound, no knell shall ring; | |
| But angels, as the high pines wave, | |
| Their half-heard “Miserere” sing. | |
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| No flowers of transient bloom at eve | 5 |
| The maidens on the turf shall strew; | |
| Nor sigh, as the sad spot they leave, | |
| Sweets to the sweet! a long adieu! | |
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| But in this wilderness profound, | |
| O’er her the dove shall build her nest; | 10 |
| And ocean swell with softer sound | |
| A requiem to her dreams of rest! | |
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| Ah! when shall I as quiet be, | |
| When not a friend, or human eye, | |
| Shall mark beneath the mossy tree | 15 |
| The spot where we forgotten lie? | |
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| To kiss her name on the cold stone | |
| Is all that now on earth I crave; | |
| For in this world I am alone,— | |
| O, lay me with her in the grave! | 20 | | |
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