Loss of a Loved One
Pressed by the Moon, mute arbitress of tides,
While the loud equinox its power combines,
The sea no more its swelling surge confines,
But o’er the shrinking land sublimely rides.
The wild blast, rising from the western cave,
Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed;
Tears from their grassy tombs the village dead,
And breaks the silent sabbath of the grave!
With shells and sea-weed mingled, on the shore,
Lo! their bones whiten in the frequent wave;
But vain to them the winds and waters rave;
They hear the warring elements no more:
While I am doomed, by life’s long storm oppressed,
To gaze with envy on their gloomy rest.
Charlotte Turner Smith (1789)
Written in the Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex
Death is the great equaliser; it comes for us all, regardless of wealth, status, or power. It's an unchangeable fact of life, yet we often shy away from confronting it head-on. When we lose a loved one, the reality of mortality hits home with staggering force. The pain of grief runs deep, leaving us searching desperately for solace and comfort in the face of overwhelming loss.
To manage our grief, we are often drawn to rituals and traditions as they offer a sense of closure and peace. In cemeteries, we find solace in the timeless rituals of paying respects, laying flowers, and offering prayers. Here, enveloped by the quiet serenity of marble gravestones, we find a tangible connection to those we've lost and, more widely, to the shared human experience of life and death.
Poetry:
Written in the Church Yard at Middleton in Sussex - Charlotte Turner Smith (1789)
Locations:
Fig. 1-8 - Barnoon Cemetery, St Ives.
Fig. 9-10 - Madron Cemetery, Madron.
References: