As I visit different cemeteries, I mostly see a lot of names and dates. Some stone contain words of wisdom or bible versus. A lot of times you don't even know it says anything below the names and dates until you clean the stone. As I was working in Old Riverside Cemetery in Spencer, Indiana, I came across a stone for a William Pugh. The stone had sunken in the ground to where you couldn't read the date of death so I pulled the stone and cleaned and reset it. After I cleaned it I read the bottom of the stone and the words have stuck with me ever since. It says:
Remember man as you pass by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
Prepare for death and follow me
Now I don't know where the words originated but I read where it's believed that the orign is from the tomb of Edward the Black Prince (1330-1376). When I read the words at the bottom of the stones it felt like the deceased was speaking to me directly and no doubt there is a lot of truth in these words. So next time you are in the cemetery and rushing around recording or cleaning stones, remember the words that William Pugh left for us to read and remember that these are not just decorative rocks but people that was just like us and we will someday be like them.
Remember man as you pass by
As you are now so once was I
As I am now so you must be
Prepare for death and follow me
Now I don't know where the words originated but I read where it's believed that the orign is from the tomb of Edward the Black Prince (1330-1376). When I read the words at the bottom of the stones it felt like the deceased was speaking to me directly and no doubt there is a lot of truth in these words. So next time you are in the cemetery and rushing around recording or cleaning stones, remember the words that William Pugh left for us to read and remember that these are not just decorative rocks but people that was just like us and we will someday be like them.