WHEN I AM DEAD.
Will friends remember that I lived,Give me a passing thought,Give tribute to what I have done,To what I may have wrought.Or will they pass with heedless laugh,Not feeling one regretThat I have gone beyond their ken;And will they soon forgetThatIloved them, thattheyloved me,That friendship in the pastWas part, and parcel of our lives;We hoped ’twould ever last.But when I’m dead, I hope few tearsWill then be shed for me.If others then shall take my place,I shall not grieve to seeMy loved ones happy without me.Why should they grieve for aye?Their duties they must ever do,The laws of life obey.Forget me then when I am dead;I fain would have it so.If world is better for my life,Bequeath I would not woeTo those I leave behind on earth;They need not shed one tear,Nor be unhappy for one hour;Nor need they have one fearOf what befalls me when I die.I’ll go where I belong.I shall not crowd nor push asideThe ever swelling throng.—My place I’ve made while here on earth,And I shall go thereinWithout a fear, without a thoughtOf any earthly sin.I’ve lived, I’ve loved, I’ve done the workThat was laid out for me.I still shall live, I still shall loveThroughout eternity.Be patient with the living ones,The dead need not your care.The living ones need comfortingFor much they have to bear.
Will friends remember that I lived,Give me a passing thought,Give tribute to what I have done,To what I may have wrought.Or will they pass with heedless laugh,Not feeling one regretThat I have gone beyond their ken;And will they soon forgetThatIloved them, thattheyloved me,That friendship in the pastWas part, and parcel of our lives;We hoped ’twould ever last.But when I’m dead, I hope few tearsWill then be shed for me.If others then shall take my place,I shall not grieve to seeMy loved ones happy without me.Why should they grieve for aye?Their duties they must ever do,The laws of life obey.
Forget me then when I am dead;I fain would have it so.If world is better for my life,Bequeath I would not woeTo those I leave behind on earth;They need not shed one tear,Nor be unhappy for one hour;Nor need they have one fearOf what befalls me when I die.I’ll go where I belong.I shall not crowd nor push asideThe ever swelling throng.—My place I’ve made while here on earth,And I shall go thereinWithout a fear, without a thoughtOf any earthly sin.I’ve lived, I’ve loved, I’ve done the workThat was laid out for me.I still shall live, I still shall loveThroughout eternity.
Be patient with the living ones,The dead need not your care.The living ones need comfortingFor much they have to bear.