I came across this poem recently in StumbleUpon. It really moved me and I wanted to share it with you.
It is written by Mary Elizabeth Frye.
Mary Elizabeth Frye (Dayton, Ohio, 13 November, 1905 – Baltimore 15 September 2004) was a Baltimore housewife and florist, best known as the author of the poem “Do not stand at my grave and weep,” written in 1932.
She was born Mary Elizabeth Clark, and was orphaned at the age of three. In 1927 she married Claud Frye.
The identity of the author of the poem was unknown until the late 1990s, when Frye revealed that she had written it. Her claim was later proven by Abigail Van Buren. Her poem was also used in the one of the Norwegian protocols, to express condolences for the the sorrow that struck the country July 22nd, 2011. – Wikipedia
Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep
Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there; I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow,
I am the sun on ripened grain,
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.
Photo Credits
Hi Gil,
What a beautiful poem you posted. It resonates with me that is for sure. I pray that my husband is with me every day. Watching over me and our children. I does give some comfort indeed!
This is a very moving poem. The personna has come to terms with death and seeks to comfort those who will mourn at his/her death based on perhaps shared systems of belief. Again you picked a very moving poem to share.
the chorus i’m apart of did a tribute to veterens concert this past weekend. in it we did some readings of poetry and letters. this was one of them.
One of my closet friends recently died and this was the poem in her obituary, the fact that I keep stumbling upon this is really settling and calming.
Hi Cheyenne,
My condolences to you! I too have lost close ones of late …
I really do believe the spirit in this poem.
It is indeed soothing to the soul 🙂
Cheers,
Gil
I am truly touched…Absolutely beautiful.
I sang this in a quartet in 8th grade, it was lovely
I’ve seen this poem before on the memorial web page of a lady who tragically passed away in a car accident many years ago. Indeed very very sad and thought provoking.
really heart touching poem…..
Moving and rhythmic, it is how writers should write.
Getting more and more interested into the world of poetry, starting writting some verses too, from once in a while, I couldn’t help but being touched by this great piece of work. Thanks for sharing it 🙂
I have come across this lovely poem many times and was most interested to learn it is now accredited to this lady. I am a poet myself (published) and can relate absolutely to the lovely words.
I think we as humans all want to believe we live an eternal life as part of nature in this never ending circle. I think the writer shows our fear of death and the ending of what we feel is a beautiful thing, to think we turn to nothing and just disappear is not a satisfying thought.
That’s the point…you can’t turn to nothing.
Thanks for sharing this…..
Wow! Very Nice And Heart Touching Words, Love This…
Thanks for sharing this very touching poem – so full of spirit and soul – my ideal is to feel this connected every day before, during and after I ‘die’ – this planet we call earth is truly magical.
Hello Heather,I am so glad that you have found this poem and love it as much as I do. I go back to
it often and get inspired. Thankyou for responding to it on line,Mary
I don’t think i have ever been so moved! Where has this been for heaven’s sake I guess
waiting for a special moment a special time. It is so very beautiful I just had to post and I have never
posted before. Thankyou for putting this out there for all to see.
Hi Mary,
I am so glad that you found it AND that you took the time to leave a comment.
Thank YOU!!
Cheers,
Gil
This poem really touched my heart. The poet has written this with so much feeling, each word is etched into my heart. It is a long time since I read a poem so intense and powerful. Thanks for sharing this.
Beautiful poem, we have this on the back of my son’s headstone.
What a great poem! My eyes watered up from reading it. Such a touching poem it even gave me some inspiration and made me want to write.
i found it at stumble too
great poem
Thanks Gil, for linking us to this poem for Janine. You were with us in spirit tonight. Beautiful words, thank you.
Hi Susan,
Big hugs ….
Gil