"O Death, O Grave"

This uprooted gravestone laying on the ground at the German Reformed Presbyterian Church Cemetery has the inscription "O Death, O Grave". This inscription was completely buried under the soil for who knows how many years, but is now revealed to be viewed again.



It's apparently a quote from the poem Su ruhest du, o meine Ruh by Salomo Franck, circa 1711:

To me the darksome tomb
Is but a narrow room,
Where I may rest in peace from sorrow free;

Thy death shall give me power
To cry in that dark hour,
O Death, O Grave, where is your victory?

The grave can nought destroy,
Only the flesh can die,
And e'en the body triumphs o'er decay:

Clothed by Thy wondrous might
In robes of dazzling light,
This flesh shall burst the grave at that last Day.