Sonnet Xl. Easter-Eve, 1833. Poem by Henry Alford

I saw two women weeping by the tomb
Of one new--buried, in a fair green place
Bowered with shrubs; the eve retained no trace
Of aught that day performed; but the faint gloom
Of dying day was spread upon the sky;
The moon was broad and bright above the wood;
The breeze brought tokens of a multitude,
Music, and shout, and mingled revelry.
At length came gleaming through the thicket--shade
Helmet and casque, and a steel--armed band
Watched round the sepulchre in solemn stand;
The night--word past, from man to man conveyed;
And I could see those women rise and go
Under the dark trees, moving sad and slow.