Author Topic: A perception of death 107 years ago.  (Read 4027 times)

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Offline Silverbirch

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A perception of death 107 years ago.
« on: March 15, 2017, 10:08:16 PM »
I found this piece on the internet today. It was written by a man called Henry Scott-Holland 1847-1918. He was a priest at St Paul's Cathedral of London.
He did not intend it as a poem, it was actually delivered as part of a sermon in 1910. The sermon, titled, "Death the King of Terrors" was preached while the body of King Edward VII was lying in state at Westminster.

For me, it gives a great insight of how death was perceived by this man back in those days, it could have been written yesterday.
It definitely struck a chord with me.


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!




Offline longedge

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #1 on: March 16, 2017, 08:21:05 PM »
That's a good find Silverbirch. My youngest grandson called to see me after school today and we spent quite a time talking about grandma and having a laugh about things she used to do. I've said many times that I always bring Chris into our family conversations in the same way that we do with all the others who are no longer with us, not in a sad way but remembering happy and funny moments.
I'll never get over losing her and I used to think that eventually
I would learn to live with it - that's not happened yet.

        ~ I'm George by the way ~

Offline Silverbirch

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #2 on: March 16, 2017, 09:00:42 PM »
Hello longedge,

I hope that one day I too can talk about things and bring my partner into conversations without it having an adverse effect, I'm still finding it so difficult since she passed 17 months ago.
Can you remember the time it took for you reach the stage you are at or was it a natural thing that happened from the beginning.

I was fascinated by that sermon written by Henry Scott-Holland, for some reason I was convinced that death was looked upon a lot differently in the early 1900's.

Cheers longedge.

 

Offline Karena

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #3 on: March 16, 2017, 09:28:52 PM »
I agree with Longedge our lives are much more than our death and sometimes when we are lost in our grief we naturally focus on the person lost rather than the person we were so lucky to have had in our lives.

Other people sometimes act as though they never existed fearing mentioning their name will upset us but we are already upset .we didn't forget then suddenly remember because their name was spoken.

I want my grandchildren to say.that's my grandad who took us somewhere,taught us something,and in the case of the younger ones taught someone else something.Not that's my grandad who died as I have heard others say

.No matter who we are or what we achieve the most important thing we leave is the memory's of those who love us.If we leave money it is spent.If we are famous our names live on but often only as recorded by  historians or biographers.The world might think it knew us but it only knew what it was lead to think,

In all cases even if we leave none of that the only true memory's are of those who loved us warts and all, and those who came to know us as those people share and pass those memorys on.

Silver birch remembering in that way was a coping mechanism for me.I imagined I had a handful of picture cards and placed good memory's on them.Whenever my mind went down the direction of remembering his death or I woke from a nightmare I put that on a card and it went on the bottom of the pile with all the happier cards on top.

Attitudes were different perhaps more people had religion and there were many more mystery's in the world.Then for a while we thought we knew it all and dismissed the idea of heaven or veils between worlds of afterlife and reunion.With that knowledge perhaps we also lost some of our humanity.But quantum physics shows us that we didn't know it all,it questions the so called laws of physics and shows us that there are other possabilitys.Things that can't be tested in a lab and replicated so science can neither prove or disprove as these are the requisite it requires.So I for one am prepared to believe that what is written in that poem is equally as valid now as it was then.

Offline Norma

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #4 on: March 17, 2017, 07:30:11 AM »
I really cant add anything to this thread, theres simply no need, the words youve written Silverbirch say it all, our lovely Karenas wisdom explaining it, you longedge doing everything the words are saying and doing it with fond memories, it does help to bring our loved ones into our daily lives, even if im having a bad day i will look at my Hubby's photo and ask 'what have i done wrong today to deserve this'  then i see him smiling at me so it cheers me.

The day will come that you will do the same  Silverbirch i promise you, Its a gradual thing that happens without even realising it.

 :hug: 
Its been a rough week but i made it. How about you 💐

Offline longedge

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #5 on: March 17, 2017, 10:12:17 AM »
Can you remember the time it took for you reach the stage you are at or was it a natural thing that happened from the beginning.
Hi Silverbirch - TBH I can't. Chris died in October 2015 so around the same sort of time as your loss. The first few months is just a blur of misery for everyone I think but one of the decisions I made as I came out of the initial shock, probably 4 or 5 months down the line, was that we, as a family, were going to keep Chris amongst us by talking about her when it was appropriate. It's very strange that although I find comfort in talking about her I still have great difficulty in looking at photos of her and seeing any video or hearing her voice absolutely floors me. I just want to make sure that, especially my youngest grandson hangs on to his happy memories of Grandma.
I'll never get over losing her and I used to think that eventually
I would learn to live with it - that's not happened yet.

        ~ I'm George by the way ~

Offline Norma

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Re: A perception of death 107 years ago.
« Reply #6 on: March 17, 2017, 03:00:28 PM »
Just read your post longedge, about the first few months being a blur, ive just got home from shopping with sister in law who has just lost a family member, she asked me how much something to do with my hubbys funeral cost, and i couldn't remember at all, couldn't even guess, it was a blank in my head, then arrived home and read your post and started trying to remember my first few months, i can remember the day i lost John as though it was yesterday but the ensuing months nothing, its 2 1/2  years for me and i just dont know where the time has gone xx

 :hug:
Its been a rough week but i made it. How about you 💐