My Days Among the Dead are Passed
by Robert Southey

English poet. An influential figure at the outset of the Romantic movement, he was fond of writing verse narratives set in distant lands, such as Thalaba the Destroyer (1801), Madoc (1805) and The Curse of Kehama (1810). His best-known shorter poems are the ballads 'The Battle of Blenheim' and 'The Inchcape Rock'. Several editions of his collected Poems were issued during his lifetime. His mastery of prose is illustrated by his classic Life of Nelson (1813) and The Life of Wesley (1820), and his popular miscellany The Doctor includes the immortal children's tale 'The Story of the Three Bears'.

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My Days Among the Dead are Passed
by Robert Southey

My days among the Dead are passed;
Around me I behold,
Where'er these casual eyes are cast,
The mighty minds of old:
My never-failing friends are they,
With whom I converse day by day.

With them I take delight in weal,
And seek relief in woe;
And while I understand and feel
How much to them I owe,
My cheeks have often been bedewed
With tears of thoughtful gratitude.

My thoughts are with the Dead; with them
I live in long-past years,
Their virtues love, their faults condemn,
Partake their hopes and fears;
And from their lessons seek and find
Instruction with an humble mind.

My hopes are with the Dead; anon
My place with them will be,
And I with them shall travel on
Through all Futurity;
Yet leaving here a name, I trust,
That will not perish in the dust.

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My Days Among the Dead are Passed by Robert Southey