Dearly departed, O vapor of earth,

Though briefly sprayed, arise now for thy rebirth;

And though thy mist shall roll beyond the veil,

O’er summery lands or listless oceans pale,

Somewhere to form as yonder morning’s dew,

Yet hither shall thy form be glimmering too:

For shall thy grave with rising flowers be dressed,

And the green turf sprout lightly from thy breast;

There the first roses of the year shall blow,

And there the morning her silvery tears bestow;

While spirits with their misty feet shall dance

O’er ground made greener with thy radiance.

And there we too, thy dew-eyed mourners here,

May yet discover thy shimmering atmosphere.

Image Credit: Caroline

Rotting Silver is a column devoted to this Earth in all its tarnished radiance: poetry, prose, and parables of ugliness alloyed with joy.

This piece is a variation on Alexander Pope’s “Elegy to the Memory of an Unfortunate Lady” (lines 63-68).

This piece was first published at The Witch’s Voice.

The Author

B. T. Newberg:  Since the year 2000, B. T. has been practicing meditation and ritual from a naturalistic perspective. He currently volunteers as Education Director for the Spiritual Naturalist Society, where he created and now teaches an online course in naturalistic spirituality (including Naturalistic Paganism!). His writings can also be found at Patheos and Pagan Square, as well as right here at HP.

He also hosts a new podcast called Dead Ideas: The Podcast of Extinct Thoughts and Practices. It explores ideas once believed to be true, but no longer.

Professionally, he teaches English as a Second Language, and hopes to begin a PhD program in the psychology of religion soon.  After living in Minnesota, England, Malaysia, Japan, and South Korea, he currently resides in Minneapolis, Minnesota, with his wife and cat.

After founding HumanisticPaganism.com in 2011 and serving as managing editor till 2013, he now serves as advising editor, and feels blessed to be a part of this community.