Poems (Davidson)/A View of Death
A VIEW OF DEATH.
When bending o'er the brink of life, My trembling soul shall stand,Waiting to pass death's awful flood, Great God! at thy command;
When weeping friends surround my bed, To close my sightless eyes;When shattered by the weight of years This broken body lies;
When every long-loved scene of life Stands ready to depart;When the last sigh which shakes this frame, Shall rend this bursting heart,—
O Thou great source of joy supreme, Whose arm alone can save,Dispel the darkness that surrounds The entrance to the grave.
Lay thy supporting, gentle hand Beneath my sinking head,And with a ray of love divine Illume my dying-bed.
Leaning on thy dear, faithful breast, I would resign my breath,And in thy loved embraces lose The bitterness of death.
