After the joys of earth,
After its songs of mirth,
After its hours of light,
After its dreams so bright:
What then?
Only an emp­ty name,
Only a wea­ry frame,
Only a con­scious smart,
Only an ach­ing heart.

After an emp­ty name,
After a wea­ry frame,
After this con­scious smart,
After an ach­ing heart:
What then?
Only a sad fare­well
To a world loved too well,
Only a si­lent bed,
With the for­got­ten dead.

After this sad fare­well,
To a world loved too well,
After this si­lent bed,
With the for­got­ten dead:
What then?
Oh! then the judg­ment throne,
Oh! then the last hope gone,
Then all the woes that dwell
In an eter­nal hell!

But those whom sin has op­pressed,
May have their fears put to rest;
All who in Christ be­lieve
Eternal life re­ceive;
What then?
When they ac­cept the Son,
They pa­ra­dise have won:
No flame, no dark abyss,
But ev­er­last­ing bliss.