Friend After Friend Departs

Friend af­ter friend de­parts;

Who hath not lost a friend?

There is no un­ion here of hearts

That finds not here an end:

Were this frail world our on­ly rest

Living or dy­ing

none were blest.

Beyond the flight of time

Beyond this vale of death

There sure­ly is some bless­èd clime

Where life is not a breath

Nor life’s af­fect­ions tran­si­ent fire

Whose sparks fly up­ward and ex­pire.

There is a world ab­ove

Where part­ing is un­known

A whole eter­ni­ty of love

Formed for the good alone;

And faith be­holds the dy­ing here

Translated to that hap­pi­er sphere.

Thus star by star de­clines

Till all are passed away

As morn­ing high and high­er shines

To pure and per­fect day;

Nor sink those stars in emp­ty night

But hide them­selves in Heav­en’s own light.