Graveyard Poetry

Click on an underlined name for the full gravestone inscription.

ECHOES OF MORTALITY
Graveyard poetry often employs vivid imagery and symbolism, using the physical elements of graveyards—tombstones, epitaphs, and overgrown vegetation—to evoke a sense of desolation and introspection. The genre also served as a critique of societal norms, questioning the materialism and superficiality of the living world. Through meditative and often haunting verse, 19th-century poets sought to provide solace and provoke thought, encouraging a deeper understanding of human existence and the mysteries of the afterlife.

“Blest babe! we would not wish thee back, To share our sorrows here. Since satan never can stain thy soul, Nor wicked men ensnare.” from Anne Bradstreet's poem "In Memory of My Dear Grand-Child Elizabeth Bradstreet, Who Deceased August, 1665" ~ gravestones of Elizabeth Johnston [1810-1811]

“Insatiate Archer, would not one suffice? Thy shaft flew twice & hence my peace was slain. Snatched in their dawn, how swift our blessings fly, Here the hope of doling Parents lie. But cease to weep, lock up your mournful pain. Behold, your darlings are bright seraphs here. See how they beckon from your distant sphere, Here fix your hopes, they are your treasure here.”
from "The Complaint: or, Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality" by Edward Young

~ gravestones of Walter James Nelson Douglass [1809-1811] and William Jackson Douglass [1814-1821]

“Reflection long shall hover o’er thy urn, And warm affection boast the power to mourn; Peace to thy Shade, While truth shall breathe the rest, Lamented most by those who knew Thee best.” from Alfred Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam A.H.H."

~ gravestone of Louisa A. Johnston [1791-1819]

“When blooming youth is snatched away, By death’s resistless hand. Our hearts the mournful tribute pay, Which pity must demand.” from "At the Funeral of a Young Person" by Anne Steele
~ gravestone of Archibald Young Stokes [1800-1821]

“Beneath the shelter of the sod, Death but a brighter halo, O’er thee has thrown, Thy Virtues, thy Soul, alike have spurned the Clock. Rest thee in God.”

appears in a series of poems titled "Historic Pencilings" by Horace Greeley
~ gravestone of Mrs. Adelaide Ogilby [1805-1833]

“Death came and o’er my sky the clouds of sorrow cast Their darkening shadows. Affection weeps but leaning on His word, Hope yields an angel spirit to its God.”
from Alfred Lord Tennyson's "In Memoriam A.H.H."

~ gravestone of Frances J. Baldwin [1823-1855]

“The lovely bud so young and fair, Called hence by early doom. Just came to show how sweet a flower, In Paradise would bloom.”

from "Epitaph on an Infant" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~ gravestone of Ella Georgia Liddon {1850-1855]

“She lived as lives a peaceful dove, She died as Christians die, And now her spirit floats above, A seraph in the sky.” "She Dwelt among the Untrodden Ways" by William Wordsworth ~ Sarah Virginia Burnett [1843-1858]

“She we lost was lovely and we loved her much. ‘Tis finished, life’s short journey’s done, The sun hath set, the seasons run.” from Robert Pollok's poem “The Course of Time” ~ gravestone of Margaret A. Mumford, [1835-1859]

“He loved to wander most o’er Sacred [Ground], To tread the footsteps of the most [Holy], To look upon Zion and the C[hurch], And to recount them ancient, Life’s journey done, his sun went down, Behind a cloud, but to rise we trust, Amidst unearthly glories upon the mount of God.” from Lord Byron's "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" N. C. Guernsey [XXXX-1861]

“Farewell, Oh! Sacred tomb. Guard well thy treasure.” is from William Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," Act 5, Scene 3 ~ gravestone of Guy Cardwell Smith [1861-1865]

“Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade, Death came with friendly care. The opening bud to Heaven convey’d, And bade it blossom there.”

from "Epitaph on an Infant" by Samuel Taylor Coleridge ~ gravestone of Laura A. Jones [1834-1835] Pery Fost {1857-1865]

"Love would not keep her here.” from "Not To Keep" by Robert Frost ~ gravestone of Carrie Burnett Carbine [1868-1868]

“Oh Mother dear, a short farewell, That we may meet again above. And rove where angels love to dwell, And trees of life bear fruit of love.” from Isaac Watts' poem "On The Sudden Death of Mrs. Mary Peacock"~ gravestone of Martha Peteet [1802-1871]

“Early, bright, transient, chaste as morning dew, She sparkled, was exhat’d, and went to heaven.”
from "Night Thoughts" by Edward Young
~ gravestone of Gena Evans Mauldin [1850-1873]

“As one candle lights another so nobleness enkindleth nobleness.” from “Yussouf” by James Russell Lowell

~ gravestone of Emily Reid Hill [1820-1899]

"She walked in beauty." from Lord Byron's poem "She Walks in Beauty" [1865-1958]

Ode to the Taylor Family

Mrs. Laura Tallulah Harris Taylor [1829-1912] appears to have been well educated and an admirer of the prominent poets of the 19th century - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Respected for their lyrical and sentimental poetry, they shared a mutual respect and admiration for each other's work, which led to a personal acquaintance and correspondence. Both poets explored themes of nature, love, and loss, and their works were immensely popular during their lifetimes. Additionally, they both contributed significantly to the literary traditions of their respective countries—Longfellow in America and Tennyson in England. Mrs. Taylor used their words to mark the graves of her most beloved husband as well as three of their children.

“Let no one fondly dream again, That Hope with all her shadowy train, Will not decay. Fleeting as were the dreams of old, Remembered like a tale that's told.” from “Coplas De Manrique" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

~ gravestone of Robert Galphin Taylor, Sr. [1829-1857]

“Oh, not in anger, not in wrath, The reaper came that day. ‘Twas an Angel visited the earth, And bore the bud away.” from "The Reaper and the Flowers" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
~ gravestone of Delony Bolling Taylor [1852-1853]

“Thou wert so like a form of light, That Heaven benignly called thee hence. E’re yet the world could breathe one blight, O’er thy sweet innocence.” from "The Two Voices" by Alfred Lord Tennyson
~ gravestone of Robert James Taylor [1853-1855]

“The soft breath of summer just passed o’er her brow as the gentle dew kisses the flowers, When she faded away like a beautiful dream, To the land of Elysian bowers.” from "Ida" a poem by Truesdell
~ gravestone of Mary Hunt Taylor [1857-1857]