Hymn
A Warning From the Grave
Beneath our feet and o'er our head
Is equal warning given;
Beneath us lie the countless dead,
Above us is the heaven!
Death rides on every passing breeze,
And lurks in every flower;
Each season hath its own disease,
Its peril every hour!
Our eyes have seen the rosy light
Of youth's soft cheek decay;
And fate descend in sudden night
On manhood's middle day.
Our eyes have seen the steps of age
Halt feebly to the tomb;
And yet shall earth our hearts engage,
And dreams of days to come?
Then, mortal, turn! thy danger know;
Where'er thy foot can tread,
The earth rings hollow from below,
And warns thee of her dead!
Turn, mortal, turn! thy soul apply
To truths divinely given:
The dead, who underneath thee lie,
Shall live for hell or heaven!
A Warning From the Grave — Text from Laudes Domini, 1884. Public domain. https://yeshuanow.com/hymns/a-warning-from-the-grave
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Questions about this hymn
Who wrote A Warning From the Grave?
The words of A Warning From the Grave were written by Reginald Heber; the version here was published in 1884. The library holds 13 more hymns by Reginald Heber, including When Through the Torn Sail and From Greenland's Icy Mountain.
Is A Warning From the Grave public domain?
Yes. The words here are taken from Laudes Domini, published in 1884. Works published before 1931 are out of copyright in the United States, so you can print, project, perform and record this hymn freely. How we source and check every hymn.
What is the metre of A Warning From the Grave?
A Warning From the Grave is in Common Metre (8.6.8.6). Hymns in the same metre can usually be sung to the same tunes — for example, A Living and Dead Faith, Holy Fortitude and Retrospection.