In his short and famous poem Requiem, Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) looks to death, offering a sense of serene acceptance of mortality, and satisfaction with the life that he has lived. Stevenson died suddenly at the age of 44, and on his grave, as directed, are the final lines from Requiem.
This rich and warm arrangement for TTBB voices reflects peace, tranquility, and acceptance.
Requiem by Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.