Classic Poem

Vital spark of heavenly flame
Quit, O quit this mortal frame,
Hoping, trembling, ling'ring, flying,
O! the pain, the bliss of dying;
Cease fond nature, cease thy strife,
And let me languish into life.

Hark! they whisper, angels say,
Sister spirit come away.
What is this absorbs me quite,
Steals my senses, shuts my sight;
Drowns my spirits, draws my breath,
Tell me, my soul, can this be Death?

The world recedes, it disappears,
Heaven opens on my eyes, my ears
With sounds seraphic ring.
Lend, lend, your wings—I mount, I fly—
O grave! where is thy victory!
O death! where is thy sting!