I saw thee young and beautiful, <br />I saw thee rich and gay, <br />In the first blush of womanhood, <br />Upon thy wedding-day; <br />The church-bells rang, <br />And the little children sang: <br />'Flowers, flowers, kis her feet; <br />Sweets to the sweet; <br />The winter's past, the rains are gone-- <br />Bless'd is the bride whom the sun shines on.' <br /> <br />I saw thee poor and desolate, <br />I saw thee fade away, <br />In broken-hearted widowhood, <br />Before thy locks were grey; <br />The death-bell rang, <br />And the little children sang: <br />'Lilies, dress her winding-sheet; <br />Sweets to the sweet: <br />The summer's past, the sunshine gone; <br />Bless'd is the corpse which the rain rains on.'<br /><br />James Montgomery<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-bridal-and-the-burial/
