IN PLAYFORD CHURCHYARD .

Thou hast fallen! and in thy fall
A poet may deplore
The loss of one memorial
Which time cannot restore;
Thy leafless boughs, and barkless stem,
So long that green bank's diadem,
Now greet my eyes no more:
No longer canst thou to my heart
Thy silent chronicles impart.

Since thou that churchyard-gate beside
First waved thy sapling bough,
Beneath thee many a blooming bride
Fresh from the nuptial vow
Hath pass'd, with humble hopes elate;
And slowly borne through that low gate
How many, sleeping now
Beneath the turf's green flowery breast,
Were carried to their dreamless rest!

Under thy shadow, full of glee,
The village children play'd;
And hoary age has seen in thee
His own decline portray'd:
With human joys, griefs, hopes, and fears,
With humble smiles, and lowly tears,
Thy memory is array'd;
And for their sakes, though reft and riven,
This record of thy fall is given.