Inscriptions on gravestones throughout Karori Cemetery are many and varied. Typically, most are based on biblical quotes, and some are poetry. Here are some I’ve spotted on my recent meanderings
“Pause reader here while passing by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
My souls at rest, my grave you see
Prepare myself to follow me.”
And another
“Oh for the touch of a vanished hand
And for the sound of a voice that is still.”
Here’s a rather sad/poignant one:
“We do not know what pain he bore
We did not see him die
We only know he passed away
And never said goodbye”
I’m not entirely sure what message the next one is conveying. Any ideas?
“Mine own and not anothers eyes
The King shall in his beauty view
I shall from him receive the prize
The starry crown to victors die.”
Stonemasons seem not to have made room for apostrophes in their work – I’m sure you can spot several that are missing. The following one though has not only apostrophes in the right places, but also uses commas appropriately. The grammar may be good, but oh dear what a sad sentiment it expresses:
Weep not for me, Mother, because I must die
And sink in death’s coldness to rest
Weep not for me, Mother, because death is nigh,
I go to the home of the blest.
It is but a moment, a panic, and no more
A struggle and that to be free
‘Tis the spirit’s last look on a journey that’s oer
Oh! Death hath no terrors for me.”
This message of farewell from a dying son to his mother has another two verses in a similar vein, but they haven't been included on the grave they grace. The grave is very early one, dated December 1893, and commemorates a ship's engineer from Busta in the Shetland Islands. Apparently the occupant died as a result of diabetes. He was only 34.
Come and explore these and many other fascinating aspects of Karori Cemetery with me on Karori Cemetery Walk - further information available on www.karoricemeterytour.weebly.com
“Pause reader here while passing by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
My souls at rest, my grave you see
Prepare myself to follow me.”
And another
“Oh for the touch of a vanished hand
And for the sound of a voice that is still.”
Here’s a rather sad/poignant one:
“We do not know what pain he bore
We did not see him die
We only know he passed away
And never said goodbye”
I’m not entirely sure what message the next one is conveying. Any ideas?
“Mine own and not anothers eyes
The King shall in his beauty view
I shall from him receive the prize
The starry crown to victors die.”
Stonemasons seem not to have made room for apostrophes in their work – I’m sure you can spot several that are missing. The following one though has not only apostrophes in the right places, but also uses commas appropriately. The grammar may be good, but oh dear what a sad sentiment it expresses:
Weep not for me, Mother, because I must die
And sink in death’s coldness to rest
Weep not for me, Mother, because death is nigh,
I go to the home of the blest.
It is but a moment, a panic, and no more
A struggle and that to be free
‘Tis the spirit’s last look on a journey that’s oer
Oh! Death hath no terrors for me.”
This message of farewell from a dying son to his mother has another two verses in a similar vein, but they haven't been included on the grave they grace. The grave is very early one, dated December 1893, and commemorates a ship's engineer from Busta in the Shetland Islands. Apparently the occupant died as a result of diabetes. He was only 34.
Come and explore these and many other fascinating aspects of Karori Cemetery with me on Karori Cemetery Walk - further information available on www.karoricemeterytour.weebly.com
