Verily are the flowers withered, O Beloved, in our forests. And all the pools are emptied of their lotuses.
For us are the voices of the singing-birds become silent, and dark clouds have passed over the face of the stars.
Since thy feet come never again across our threshold. Neither is light seen again within thine eyes.The Salutation of the Dead:
O thou that wert beforetime with us, and hast left us, hear once again, before thou goest forth, our salutation and farewell!
For all wounds and loneliness,
For all angry and impatient thoughts,
For all wherein we failed in love,
Or loving, failed to say to thee, we loved,
Forgive!
For all thy need in life,
For all thy need in death,
For labour that left thee weary,
And for love that failed to comfort thee,
Forgive!
Tenderly here at thy dead feet we make memorial of all thy past.
With infinite lovingness do we live
