Can anyone tell me the name and author of the poem that was read by Robert Kennedy for the elugy to Pres. John F Kennedy?
Thanks, Norma

Can you remember any of the poem? It would be very helpful.

I remember one by Edward, but not Bobby.

Edward for JFK Jr.

I know about this -- Nigel Rees tracked it down for "Quote... Unquote," but once FOUND it was (of course) removed from the website.

I may have a copy somewhere, but instead of going nuts looking for it, I'll ask Nigel to re-send it to me; then I'll post it here.

So please check in here in a few days, okay?

Here you go:

Take him, earth, for cherishing

Herbert Howells (1892-1983)

The motet is dedicated ‘To the honoured memory of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, President of the United States of America’ and Herbert Howells himself wrote:

‘Within the year following the tragic death of President Kennedy in Texas plans were made for a dual American-Canadian Memorial Service to be held in Washington. I was asked to compose an a capella work for the commemoration. The text was mine to choose, biblical or other. Choice was settled when I recalled a poem by Prudentius (AD. 348-413). I had already set it in its medieval Latin, years earlier, as a study for Hymnus Paradisi. But now I used none of that unpublished setting. Instead, I turned to Helen Waddell’s faultless translation:

Take him, Earth, for cherishing,
To thy tender breast receive him.
Body of a man I bring thee,
Noble even in its ruin.

Here was the perfect text - the Prudentius Hymnus Circa Exsequias Defuncti.

Formally it is roughly A - B - A; in texture variably 4 to 8-part. Tonality anchors (first and last) on 13, but admits chromatic phrases, as at

Ashes that a man might measure
In the hollow of his hand.

Finally, a near funeral march, tethered again to B, but in the more consoling major mode.

At the Washington memorial service, the motet’s first performance was given by the choir of the Cathedral Church of St George, Kingston, Canada, under the direction of Dr George Maybee.’

Take him, earth, for cherishing,
To thy tender breast receive him.
Body of a man I bring thee,
Noble even in its ruin.

Once was this a spirit’s dwelling,
By the breath of God created.
High the heart that here was beating,
Christ the prince of all its living.
Guard him well, the dead I give thee,
Not unmindful of His creature
Shall He ask it: He who made it
Symbol of his mystery.
Take him, earth, for cherishing.

Comes the hour God hath appointed
To fulfil the hope of men,
Then must thou, in very fashion,
What I give, return again.
Take him, earth, for cherishing.
Body of a man I bring thee.
Take, O take him.

Not though ancient time decaying
Wear away these bones to sand,
Ashes that a man might measure
In the hollow of his hand.

Not though wandering winds and idle
Scatter dust was nerve and sinew,
Is it given to man to die.
Once again the shining road
Leads to ample Paradise;
Open are the woods again,
That the Serpent lost for men.

Take, O take him, mighty Leader,
Take again thy servant’s soul.
Grave his name, and pour the fragrant
Balm upon the icy stone.

Take him, earth, for cherishing,
To thy tender breast receive him.
Body of a man I bring thee,
Noble even in its ruin.

By the breath of God created.
Christ the prince of all its living.
Take, O take him,
Take him, earth, for cherishing.

I'm curious as to why this poem is not readily accessible on the JFK websites.
It is a very honorable work and complementary to the man.


Les

Then it seems, Les, your mission is clear.

You could start here:
[www.gprep.org]

and use the "Paul Spicer" link to ask the same question. Then, assuming you get Mr. Spicer's blessing and/or he helps you get the blessing of the author's estate, you can make the suggestion to the website owners and provide them with the text.

And/or, you could write to Caroline Kennedy and let her take it from here.

Godspeed you, Les!

Marian NYC, I may apply for this job. But I'll need letters of recommendation from you Stephen Fryer, and Hugh Clary varifying my GS-12 qualifications.

[www.jfklibrary.org]


Les

You bet. Where do I sign?



Stephen

What's GS 12?

Linda, GS-12 refers to the U. S. Government, General Service program. Basically, it's a heirarchy of civilian jobs within the government. The GS-12 description includes this: Ability to work independently, need to work with community, and liason to government and public agencies.


Les

Well, you certainly work well with this community!

pam

Dear Norma did you get a answer to your J F K poem question?I have just
started looking for the same imformation and I came across your inquire the replies that I read are not what Iam looking for.The poem I am looking for was given by his brother Robert I am not sure of the accasion but he cited it as one of J F K,s Favourits .The words that I can remember go something like this.

---even as we sleep our sorrow drips down onto the heart till the auwfull crace of god gives us wisdom---

Norma this is only from a very rough memory of the words and their order I hope you may be able to help me with the results of your search or any other imformation you may have about the poems author or the full text.

Greg Hawken
Trafalgar
Victoria
Australia

Dear Greg,

I found this at [www.morec.com] . It doesn't say exactly WHAT of Aeschylus was read by RFK at his brother's funeral, but it has a link to HEAR HIM READING IT.

AESCHYLUS IN RFK’s SPEECH:

“In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”[2]

Use an audio-enabled personal computer with a Web browser having RealPlayer plug-ins. Download and play the RealAudio file at [www.morec.com], so that the audio may be heard (Aeschylus quote: the 20 seconds from 3:09 to 3:29). RealPlayer Basic (free) available at [www.real.com].

Note Kennedy’s hesitation at 3:21, with the repetition of the first syllable of “despair”. We may interpret it either as the hesitation upon the occasion of a deliberate, or an accidental but fortuitous, misquotation.

Here you go -- found this on Bartleby.com:

AUTHOR:
Aeschylus (525–456 B.C.)

QUOTATION:
Drop, drop—in our sleep, upon the heart
sorrow falls, memory’s pain,
and to us, though against our very will,
even in our own despite,
comes wisdom
by the awful grace of God.

ATTRIBUTION: AESCHYLUS, Agamemnon. The above lines are from Edith Hamilton, trans., Three Greek Plays, p. 170 (1937). Other translations of this passage from Aeschylus vary.

Robert F. Kennedy, delivering an extemporaneous eulogy to Martin Luther King, Jr., the evening of April 4, 1968, in Indianapolis, Indiana, said, “Aeschylus wrote: ‘In our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart and in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.’”

These words, lacking “own,” have been used as one of the inscriptions at the Robert F. Kennedy gravesite in Arlington National Cemetery.

You probably have left this behind, but you may be thinking not of the eulogy Robert Kennedy gave for John Kennedy not at his funeral, but in introducing a film about him at the Demcratic Convention about nine months later. There he quoted from "Romeo and Juliet":

And when he shall die, cut him out in little stars
And he will mnake the face of heaven so fine
That all the world will be in love with night
And pay no worship to the garish sun.

I don't believe he spoke at the funeral proper, Cardinal Cushing offered the eulogy then. Eulogies were not customary at funeral masses in those days...

does anyone remember the poem which caroline read at jfk junior's funeral? it had a beach/water theme if i recall correctly.....

teddy read the eulogy.
i thought caroline read a passage from 'the tempest'and at some stage read or dedicated this poem to john junior. i think this was it, just wondering if anyone could confirm.

Oh, rest your oars and let me drift
While all the stars come out to see!
The birds are talking in their sleep
As we go by so silently.
The idle winds are in the pines;
The ripples touch against the shore.
Oh, rest your oars and let me drift,
And let me dream forevermore!

The sweet wild roses hear and wake,
And send their fragrance through the air;
The hills are hiding in the dark,
There is no hurry anywhere.
The shadows close around the boat,
Ah, why should we go back to shore!
So rest your oars, and we will float
Without a care forevermore.

Oh, little waves that plash and call,
How fast you lead us out of sight!
And we must follow where you go
This strange and sweet midsummer night;
The quiet river reaches far--
The darkness covers all the shore;
With idle oars we downward float
In starlight dim forevermore.

While cleaning out my late mother's dresser (she died 13 years ago, and my father is now moving) I found a poem, typed by hand. It's titled "A letter from Heaven" by: Barbara Jones.

I have no idea who she is, but the poem goes like this...

-----------
Special Delivery From Heaven
To: The Kennedy Family
From: John Fitxgerald Kennedy

Sorry I had to leave right away
I lok down and smile at you everyday
Little Patrick says to say "Hi",
I love you, I'm happy,
so please don't cry.

Little John, now you're the big man
Take care of Mommy the best you can
You were just like a soldier
-- That salute was so brave,
Thanks for the flag that you
put on my grave.

And Caroline, I'd like to say,
How proud Daddy ws of you that day.
When you stood like a lady
and watched me go by,
And doing as Mommy, you tried not to cry.

------------------
There's more, (that's only about half) but I don't want to share the whole thing. Anyone ever heard this poem before?

Please don't mind the typos, they're my fault. :-)

    I didn't find "Special Delivery from Heaven" on line, but I
    found that your mother was not the only person who
    saved a copy.

    Here's Michael McGough, in an editorial piece written after
    the death of John Kennedy Jr.:

I don't have a specific recollection of my father commenting on John-John's funeral salute, which has been recycled obscenely in the past two weeks, but I do remember Dad bringing home from work a photostatic copy of "Special Delivery From Heaven." This was a poem supposedly addressed to John-John from his father "up there." Sorry, Reverend Hodges, I can't remember how it went; I do remember that it was so bad that it should have been marked "Return to Sender."

I was reminded of that composition this week when several Post-Gazette readers sent us poems in honor of the "prince of Camelot" that were, well, in the tradition of "Special Delivery From Heaven." Here's an idea for a book: Why Do Good People Write Bad Poems About Dead People? Slain presidents and their sons aren't the only beneficiaries of this perplexing phenomenon. You also see it in the heartfelt doggerel of some paid obituaries for ordinary people.

[www.post-gazette.com]

in the mid-70's, my firend at the local record store came across a calypso tribute to JFK from the 60's...it was so absurd yet catchy, he wanted to buy the rights to it and re-release it....i lost track of him over the years and never found out what happened.....and can't remember much about it other than the line "President Kennedy's in heaven" and the following

to me,
Kennedy
meant security
lower taxes and
racial equality
but then one day
he was gunned down
by the actions of a
trigger happy clown

the music was VERY similar to "Look Out There's a Monster Coming" by the Bonzo Dog Band, but then again, most calypso music is.

SECTION NINE: LETTER FROM HEAVEN

We are pleased to published this poem written by
Dr. Christopher Cory for the late John F. Kennedy,
on March 13, 1969. Thank you for sharing it with us,
Dr. Cory.

A LETTER FROM HEAVEN

by Dr. Christopher Cory

Sorry I had to leave right away
I look down and smile at you every day
Little Patrick says to say "Hi"
I love you, I happy, so please don't cry.

And Caroline, I'd like to say,
How proud daddy was of you that day
When you stood like a lady and watched me go by,
And doing as mommy, you tried not to cry.

Little John John, now you're the big man,
Take care of mommy the best you can.
You were just like a soldier----
That salute was so brave,
Thanks for the flag that you put on my grave.

And Jackie, I had no time for goodbyes,
But I'm sure you could read the "Farewell"
In my eyes.
Watch over our children and love them for me,
I'll treasure your love through eternity.

So please carry on as you did before
'Till all of us meet on heaven's bright shore.
Remember I love you, remember I care,
I'll always be with you
Though you don't see me there.

Love,
John

Blessed Be,
Dr. Christopher Cory

>I love you, I happy, so please don't cry.

Thanks for sending that along. I'm guessing there is a typo on the line above?

[boomersint.org]

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Yes I knew this poem the rest is:



And Jackie we had no time for goodbyes
but I,m sure you read the fairwell in my eyes
take care of our children and love them for me
I"ll l treasure your love throught eternity

so please carry on like you did before
till all of us meet in heaven next door
remember I see you , rememeber I care
remember I love you
tho you don,t see me there.

poem: a Special Delivery from Heaven

given to me by my classmate Cathy Brochet in grade 3 I had just lost my brother 6 yo on january 1rst 1964....when I was in grade 2....and this poem was something that touched me so much I learned it by heart...


author: Barbara-Ann Jones

Sorry I had to leave right away
I look down and smile at you every day
Little Patrick says to say "Hi"
I love you, I happy, so please don't cry.

And Caroline, I'd like to say,
How proud daddy was of you that day
When you stood like a lady and watched me go by,
You did just like mommy, you tried not to cry.

Little John John, now you're the big man,
Take care of mommy the best you can.
You stood just like a soldier,your salute was so brave,
Thanks for the flag that you put on my grave.

And Jackie, we had no time for goodbyes,
But I'm sure you could read the Farewell in my eyes.
take care of our children and love them for me,
I'll treasure your love through eternity.

So please carry on as you did before
'Till all of us meet on heaven's bright shore.
Remember I love you, remember I care,
I'll always be with you
Though you don't see me there.

Love,

John

There was a poem published in the Detroit News or Detroit Free Press or some Detroit publication when John Kennedy was killed that went something like:

Ten white horses came today
To take my daddy far away
Mommy said I must be good

I can't remember or find the rest of it. My daughter has asked me to find it for her.

Anybody?

Thanks, Amy

Here you go:

"Six White Horses"

Six white horses came today
To take my Daddy far away

Mommy said I must be good
And stand as big as Daddy would

And now I am big, so I wont cry
When I see my Daddy wave goodbye

Cause Daddy is my special friend
He always comes back soon again

I cannot wave, I dont see why?
Theres just a black box moving by

But Mommy says I should be still
I am a big boy now, and so I will

I hear some drums; they're awfully loud!
My Mommy's sad and so's the crowd

And everybody's dressed in black
But Daddy will soon and hurry back

Were going to take a walk to mass
Then maybe Ill see Daddy pass

I wonder why we're only three?
He always comes to church with me

Two men are talking, I can see
They said their very proud of me

They said my Daddy's in that box
The black one with the six gold locks

I have on a big boys suit
And now its my turn to salute

I do it just like the big boys do
Because I have to be one too

They're going to stop and then just leave
But in that box how will he breathe?

Though I do not understand
Theres Mommy here to hold my hand

Hes going to leave and not come home!
We just cant leave him here alone!

I want to hear him laugh and say
John-John come here so we can play

I dont see Daddy anywhere
I want to cry and I dont care

Hes in the ground-he cannot be!
He should be right here holding me!

But Mommy says I must be good
So ill just stand as Daddy would

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Nov 25, 2021

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I posted this once before on an earlier thread, but since the subject here is JFK eulogies, this is one of the most moving tributes I've ever heard:

THAT WAS THE PRESIDENT by Phil Ochs

The bullets of the false revenge have struck us once again
As the angry seas have struck upon the sand
And it seemed as though a friendless world had lost itself a friend
That was the President and that was the man.

I still can see him smiling there and waving at the crowd
As he drove through the music of the band
And never even knowing no more time would be allowed
Not for the President and not for the man.

Here's a memory to share, here's a memory to save
Of the sudden early ending of command
Yet a part of you and a part of me is buried in his grave
That was the President and that was the man.

It's not only for the leader that the sorrow hits so hard
There are greater things I'll never understand
How a man so filled with life, even death was caught off guard.
That was the President and that was the man.

Every thing he might have done and all he could have been
Was proven by the troubled traitors hand
For what other death could wound the hearts of so many men
That was the President and that was the man.

Yes, the glory that was Lincoln's never died when he was slain
It's been carried over time and time again
And to the list of honor you may add another name
That was the President and that was the man.
That was the President and that was the man.

>Sorry for those of you who are angry, negative people that don't want me to be legit, but I am!


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Re: JFK Jr.'s funeral poem recited by Caroline Kennedy: According to p AO1 Boston Globe, 7/24/99 "Caroline recited a passage from Shakespeare's "The Tempest." Unfortunately, the exact part of the play isn't cited in this story. I am looking for it as well. It does give us a large "clue", however. Toni Watson

At JFK Jr's funeral, Caroline read from "Prospero's Speech from Shakespeare's "The Tempest". Quotes include, "insubstantial pageant", "We are the stuff as dreams are made on", and " our little life is rounded with a sleep." Dust off the "Shakespeare Complete Works" from a shelf at home or library to see more!? Toni

I just watched another TV movie about Jacqueline Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy read something that President John Kennedy loved to say and it was by a poet? named Escales?

Lucy

Its eaiser to talk crap about them to you.Its eaiser to make stuff up to talk crap than it is to be nice to them because you hate them you talk crap about them but who knows how it realy is it cant be that bad.

Aeschylus. I think it's elsewhere in this thread (https://www.emule.co.uk/2poetry/phorum/read.php?f=4&i;=34650&t;=32903)
but let me digress for a moment. One of the most beautiful, and sad, spots in the DC area is the Robert F Kennedy gravesite at Arlington National Cemetery. There's a plain white cross there, and a low wall; written on the wall are the words RFK spoke, extemporaneously, in Indianapolis in 1968, the April night Martin Luther King was killed.

It's hard to imagine a presidential politician today daring any of this, to speak from the heart against hatred and for justice, and to quote an ancient Greek poet in this cause. It's not exactly right, what he says, but the mis-statement is in some ways more endearing, more humanizing. It's from Edith Hamilton's translation of "Agamemnon," the story of a king betrayed and killed, of a curse on a powerful house. It says (he said):

"in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls, drop by drop, until, in our despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of god."

(see [morec.com] which also links to the audiofile of this passage)

Hamilton has: "Drop, drop–in our sleep, upon the heart sorrow falls, memory’s pain, and to us, though against our very will, even in our own despite, comes wisdom, by the awful grace of God."

Robert Fagles, on whose translations of Greek poetry and drama I usually rely, has: "Zeus has led us on to know/the Helmsman lays it down as law/that we must suffer, suffer into truth./We cannot sleep, and drop by drop at the heart/the pain of pain remembered comes again,/and we resist, but ripeness comes as well./From the gods enthroned on the awesome rowing-bench/there comes a violent love."

Hope this helps.

Hey...

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Hmmm ... I see you two also share the same IP address!

Kennedy may be gone, but this thread NEVER seems to die !

yes we had that poem and I could recite it by heart from the time I was a young child and still can

it was anonymous

That greek guy? man he was prolific !

Half the time he wasn't a man!

prolific AND versatile !

I need everithing of john f kennedy junior for 2 days

I have a question...who wrote hehealsus poem? it a poem on his death and talking about John F. Kennedy! I'm Confused - I need to know so I can give credit to who-ever wrote it. (im doing a report)
Thanks

Looks like there are lots of them with that particular phrase:

[tinyurl.com]

Got any more lines?