Sleep and death lie side by side;
If sleep departs, the morning breaks the day,
And when death comes, eternity replies.
Plants and trees and herbs are dried at last,
And morning’s dewy pearls fade clean away.
The charms of mortal life grow old and pass,
To ruin and decay they yield their place,
And leave this fleeting world to lag behind.
Beside the running brook, the earth is green,
While great oceans move through endless time and space.
Beneath the burning sun that tests the weak,
An ancient mystery stays, age after age.
Caught up in worldly noise and human ties,
Death lays an icy hand upon our hearts.
Yet love remains before the final prize.
Like sudden rain upon the thirsty grass,
Or scorching beams that dry the quiet wood,
We face the trials of an earthly day.
The final judgment falls, the harvest stays,
And deep, eternal sleep takes us away.
