The years roll by, once more December; The blinding snows fall once again. With aching heart I still remember The snows fell like this then.
A white mantle, shadowed with blue, Spread thickly over barren ground, Compassionately hiding from view, The frozen new-made mound...
The stars shine down this winter night, Just as they did so long ago. Pray God, your star shines soft and bright, To warm this heart that is grieving so.
Every December, a speaker returns to a loss that has never quite faded. The snow falling now is the same snow that fell on the day of a burial, and that sameness is what brings the pain rushing back. The second stanza takes us to that earlier winter: a white covering lying over the frozen ground, hiding the "new-made mound" of a fresh grave. The snow is described as "compassionate," as if nature itself tried to soften the sight.
In the last stanza the speaker looks up at the stars, which also look unchanged after all these years, and turns to prayer, hoping the dead person's "star" shines gently somewhere. The final line admits the grief is still fresh. The mood is quiet, wintry, and tender, built on simple repetition. Time passes, the seasons return, and the heart stays where it was. The Latin title, "In Memoria," tells us this is an act of remembrance, a small private monument in verse.