Epitaph on an Infant
Ere Sin could blight or Sorrow fade,
Death came with friendly care;
The opening bud to Heaven conveyed,
And bade it blossom there.
1794.
On an Infant Which Died Before Baptism
“Be, rather than be call’d, a child of God,”
Death whisper’d!—with assenting nod,
Its head upon its mother’s breast,
The Baby bow’d, without demur—
Of the kingdom of the Blest
Possessor, not inheritor.
April 8th, 1799.