Life! I Know Not What Thou Art

A beautiful, uplifting funeral poem by Anna Lætitia Barbauld about being thankful for life and finding peace after death.

Life! I know not what thou art,
But know that thou and I must part;
And when, or how, or where we met
I own to me’s a secret yet. Life! we’ve been long together
Through pleasant and through cloudy weather;
‘Tis hard to part when friends are dear
Perhaps ’twill cost a sigh, a tear; Then steal away, give little warning,
Choose thine own time;
Say not Good Night, but in some brighter clime
Bid me Good Morning.

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After the service

Ways to keep them close

Words like these often stay with us long after the funeral. Some families also find comfort in a keepsake at home: an urn, a cuddle stone to hold, or jewellery with a little of their ashes inside.

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