In memoriam. M.M.S.E. de N. 1909 – 2005
If I should die, and leave you here awhile,
Be not like others, sore and undone,
who keep long vigils by the silent dust, and weep.
For my sake - turn again to life, and smile
Nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do
Something to comfort other hearts than thine.
Complete these dear unfinished tasks of mine
And I, perchance, may therein comfort you.
With no other information we cannot identify "M.M.S.E. de N." so we are rather stumped.
The poem is by Mary Hall but the voice could be male or female. If male, is this MMSE de N speaking from the grave to his widow? And perhaps one of the "dear unfinished tasks" was connected with this garden? Easy to get carried away when you know so little.
Site: MMSE de N plaque (1 memorial)
SW11, Battersea Park, Old English Garden
About the garden, from The Telegraph about 2012: "Originally laid out by Lt Col John Saxby, it has been undergoing major restoration since 2000. Cleaned up in the Eighties, the garden retains the original central pool and pergola but the planting, redesigned by Sarah Price, is a contemporary mix of grasses, perennials and bulbs".
