O could this verse her fair example spread,
And teach the living while it prais'd the dead!
Then, reader, should it speak her hope divine,
Not to record her faith, but strengthen thine;
Then should her ev'ry virtue stand confest,
Till ev'ry virtue kindled in thy breast.
But if thou slight the monitory strain,
And she has liv'd, to thee at least, in vain;
Yet let her death, an awful lesson give,
The dying Christian speaks to all that live.
Enough for her that here her ashes rest,
Till God's own plaudit shall her worth attest.
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Comments
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well written.
Twelve lines of rhyming couplet,easy to read, suggest that Mrs Litte was a 'worthy Christian." She would strengthen my faith, while her own soul awaits eternal glory.
Such a serious note and such responsibility Hannah More lays upon me, the reader.
This tribute poem, written in such classical, personal style, has a deep theme of emotion in Christian ideal and personal sacrifice.
To a believer, this poem would have great impact; to a non- Christian it would seem irrelevant to their personal need. It would have more impact if it did not give excuses for her possiblity of living in vain. Then it would have been more convincing.
I enjoyed the poem and I think it has a lot of moral teaching and religious significance, for it shows me how God continues to work throughout the ages.
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