Dirge for Athelstane

DUST into dust,
To this all must ;
The tenant hath resign'd
The faded form
To waste and worm --
Corruption claims her kind.

Through paths unknown
Thy soul hath flown,
To seek the realms of woe,
Where fiery pain
Shall purge the stain
Of actions done below.

In that sad place,
By Mary's grace,
Brief may thy dwelling be !
Till prayers and alms,
And holy psalms,
Shall set the captive free.