Beneath Our Feet and o’er Our Head

Beneath our feet and o’er our head

Is eq­ual warn­ing giv­en;

Beneath us lie the count­less dead

Above us is the Heav­en!

Their names are grav­en on the stone

Their bones are in the clay;

And ere ano­th­er day is gone

Ourselves may be as they.

Death rides on ev­ery pass­ing breeze

He lurks in ev­ery flow­er;

Each sea­son has its own dis­ease

Its per­il every hour!

Our eyes have seen the ro­sy light

Of youth’s soft cheek de­cay

And fate des­cend in sud­den night

On man­hood’s mid­dle day.

Our eyes have seen the steps of age

Halt fee­bly toward the tomb

And yet shall earth our hearts en­gage

And dreams of days to come?

Turn

mor­tal

turn! thy dan­ger know;

Where’er thy feet can tread

The earth rings hol­low from be­low

And warns thee of her dead!

Turn

Christ­ian

turn! thy soul ap­ply

To truths di­vine­ly giv’n;

The bones that un­der­neath thee lie

Shall live for hell or Heav’n!