In yonder halls reclining
Are forms surpassing fair,
And brilliant lights are shining,
But, oh! the dead are there!
There's music, song and dance,
There's banishment of care,
And mirth in every glance,
But, oh! the dead are there!
The wine cup's-sparkling glow
Blends with the viands rare,
There's revelry and show,
But still, the dead are there!
'Neath that flow of song and mirth
Runs the current of despair,
But the simple sons of earth
Know not the dead are there!
They'll shudder start and tremble,
They'll weep in wild despair
When the solemn truth breaks on them,
That the dead, the dead are there!