O, a Beautiful Thing Is the Flower That Fadeth!

O, a beautiful thing is the flower that fadeth, And perishing, smiles on the chill autumn wind; A sweet desolation its ruin pervadeth, A fragrant remembrance still lingers behind. O, a beautiful thing is the glad consummation Of a life that is upright, untarnished and pure; That spirit, when freed from this earth's animation, Shall live, as the heavens eternal endure!