Pavane for a Dead Princess

At my niece's, Lindsey's, wedding, Jim, her new husband, and his friends played the music, "Pavane to dead Princess." He was telling about the song and my mind flitted to a song I sang often after both Carla and Carol died. The music helped me handle the profound grief I was feeling. When Jim began to play the music I gasped and then I just sat there and cried. It was the same song I have been singing for so long. I never knew the name of it and I knew I didn't have the words exactly right. I was sitting between my Mom and Eric, Jim's brother. When the song was over I told them about my song. Eric wasn't aware that there were words to that song so I wondered aloud if maybe Mr. Burkett (I think that was his name, I would ask Carol or Carla, but . . . ) had invented the lyrics to go with a favorite song. Eric's comment energized me to look online and see if I could find the lyrics, I found it so I thought I would share it with you all. I wish I had remembered the end of it, I only remembered to the place, "yet here she lies in stillness." And yet, as I read all of it, I wonder at the grace of God to teach me this song when I was 14 and here, so many years later it comes, I hope, to touch all of our lives. Thank you to Jim for bringing it back to my mind so that I can share it with those of you that loved both Carla and Carol

“Soft, a blossom falls from flow’ret white
Soft, a birdling calls as falls the night,
the night that came too soon
Too soon for knowing.
So like the palest blossom was her face,

And hers the grace, the grace of birds in flight,
Yet, here she lies in stillness.
Night falls, but in the tender dusk
No more we hear her singing,
Her sweet voice singing.
As night has brought the darkness,
So morning brings another day
For her who knew not sadness, no never sadness
Somewhere she walks in gladness.
Soft, a blossom falls from flow’ret white,
Soft, a birdling calls as falls the night
An we who watch are mute at beauty’s passing.
Grieve not, for she has found another day,
another day, and on her way she moves, moves in joy.”