Death Is Nothing At All
By Henry Scott-Holland
Death is nothing at all
It does not count
I have only slipped away into the next room
Nothing has happened
Everything remains exactly as it was
I am I, and you are you,
And the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged
Whatever we were to each other, that we are still
Call me by the old familiar name
Speak of me in the easy way which you always used
Put no difference into your tone
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was
Let it be spoken without an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it
Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolute and unbroken continuity
What is this death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just round the corner
All is well
Nothing is hurt; nothing is lost
One brief moment and all will be as it was before
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
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