Read the excerpt from “To the Fringed Gentian” by William Cullen Bryant. I would that thus, when I shall see The hour of death draw near to me, Hope, blossoming within my heart, May look to heaven as I depart. This stanza reflects the attitude that the spirit has greater strength than the body. humans should not expect to live very long religious faith will make death less physically painful. people should be observant of every natural experience.