Poems for funerals without religion
Below is a selection of poetry with no reference to religion;
there are of course many other poems available,
but this page shows a good number of the more popular poems used for funerals.
Poems have been arranged in roughly alphabetical order by title;
to help with service planning, the average time taken to recite each poem is also shown.
There are also poems available for specific people (Mum, Dad, Nan, Grandad etc) that have no religious content.
There may be some poems within religious poetry and religious poems for specific people
that you might consider suitable,
as some of them contain only oblique references to religion.
Some people take the time to write their own short poem,
which can bring great comfort both from writing and reading/listening to it.
there are of course many other poems available,
but this page shows a good number of the more popular poems used for funerals.
Poems have been arranged in roughly alphabetical order by title;
to help with service planning, the average time taken to recite each poem is also shown.
There are also poems available for specific people (Mum, Dad, Nan, Grandad etc) that have no religious content.
There may be some poems within religious poetry and religious poems for specific people
that you might consider suitable,
as some of them contain only oblique references to religion.
Some people take the time to write their own short poem,
which can bring great comfort both from writing and reading/listening to it.
Afterglow
(author
unknown) 30 seconds
I’d like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow
of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve,
to dry before the sun.
It’s happy memories I leave you, my friends,
when my life is done.
Because I could not stop for Death (Emily Dickinson) 40 seconds
(This poem is suitable for burials/interment of ashes)
Because I could not stop for Death,
he kindly stopped for me;
the carriage held but just ourselves
and Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
and I had put away
my labour, and my leisure too,
for his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
their lessons scarcely done;
we passed the fields of gazing grain,
we passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
a swelling of the ground;
the roof was scarcely visible,
the cornice but a mound.
Christmas from the Heart (Judy Burnette) 1 minute 10 seconds
I heard your voice in the wind today
and I turned to see your face;
the warmth of the wind caressed me
as I stood silently in place.
I felt your touch in the sun today
as its warmth filled the sky;
I closed my eyes for your embrace
and my spirit soared high.
I saw your eyes in the window pane
as I watched the falling rain;
it seemed as each raindrop fell
it quietly said your name.
I held you close in my heart today
it made me feel complete;
you may have died... but you are not gone
you will always be a part of me.
As long as the sun shines...
the wind blows...
the rain falls...
You will live on inside of me forever,
for that is all my heart knows.
Crossing Over (author unknown) 1 minute
Oh, please don't feel guilty
it was just my time to go.
I see you are still feeling sad,
and the tears just seem to flow.
We all come to earth for our lifetime,
and for some it's not many years
I don't want you to keep crying
you are shedding so many tears.
I haven't really left you
even though it may seem so.
I have just gone to my heavenly home,
and I'm closer to you than you know.
Just believe that when you say
my name, I'm standing next to you,
I know you long to see me,
but there's nothing I can do.
But I'll still send you messages
and hope you understand,
that when your time comes to
cross over, I'll be there to take your hand.
Dear Friends I go (author unknown) 1 minute 10 seconds
Dear friends I go, but do not weep;
I've lived my life, so full and deep.
Throughout my life, I gave my best,
I earned my keep, I've earned my rest.
I never tried to be great or grand,
I tried to be a helping hand.
If I helped in a team, if I helped on my own,
it was more than repaid by good family and friends I have known;
and if I went the extra mile,
I did it with pleasure - it was all worthwhile.
If I brightened your path, then let it be
a small contribution from my loved ones and me;
now sadly I leave you and travel alone
through a mystic veil to the great unknown,
with such beautiful memories
that will forever be
the way that I hope you'll remember me.
Death is a Door (Nancy Byrd Turner) 30 seconds
Death is only an old door
set in a garden wall
on gentle hinges it gives, at dusk
when the thrushes call.
Along the lintel are green leaves
beyond the light lies still;
very willing and weary feet
go over that cill.
There is nothing to trouble any heart;
nothing to hurt at all.
Death is only a quiet door
in an old wall.
Death is nothing at all (Canon Henry Scott-Holland) 1 minute 30 seconds
(also known as ‘All is well’)
A shortened version is available, and follows this full version.
Death is nothing at all;
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you;
whatever we were to each other
that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name;
speak to me in the easy way you always used.
Put no difference into your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow;
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we always enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me;
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort,
without the ghost of a shadow in it.
Life means all that it ever meant;
it is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval,
somewhere very near,
Just around the corner;
all is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before;
how we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
Shortened Version: 30 seconds
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we are still...
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval;
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.
Do not stand at my grave and weep (attributed to Mary Frye) 45 seconds
Suitable for a burial, or if ashes are to be interred
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 sunlight 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 circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die.
Don’t weep for me (Author unknown) 1 minute 25 seconds
Don’t weep for me, for it was time
to slip life’s bonds and soar and climb.
Do not grieve for what is past,
for bodies are not meant to last.
Expendable, their only role
a growing medium for the soul.
Don’t store my books, don’t wear my rings
or cling to clothes or other things
of sentimental value, for
you do not need them anymore.
Browse through photos for a while,
but only if they make you smile
and call to mind how much we cared,
the things we did, the times we shared;
but do not sigh and wish them back,
or dress yourself in hopeless black,
for clouds will part and larks will rise –
the wheel must turn to make us wise.
And this is how ‘twill ever be:
I’m part of you, you’re part of me.
At every dawning’s golden flare,
each velvet nightfall, I’ll be there.
On woodland walk, by tossing sea,
some elemental part of me
will ride the wind and sing its song,
for each to each we all belong.
Your happiness will set me free;
beloved, do not weep for me.
Fear no more the heat o' the sun (William Shakespeare) 1 minute 10 seconds
Fear no more the heat o' the sun;
nor the furious winter's rages,
thou thy worldly task hast done,
home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
golden lads and girls all must,
as chimney sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown of the great,
thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
care no more to clothe and eat;
to thee the reed is as the oak:
the sceptre, learning, psychic, must
all follow this, and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning-flash,
nor the all-dread thunder-stone;
fear not slander, censure rash;
thou hast finished joy and moan;
all lovers young, all lovers must
consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
and renownėd be thy grave!
Funeral Blues (W H Auden) 1 minute 10 seconds
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.
silence the pianos and with muffled drum;
bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead,
put crépe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
my working week and my Sunday rest,
my noon, my midnight, my talk, my song,
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now, put out every one;
pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,
for nothing now can ever come to any good.
He is gone (David Harkins) 1 minute
(This modified version is based on an original poem by David Harkins called "Remember Me")
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back
or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love that you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live for yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he is gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what he would want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
I am still with you (from Wings of Grace by Julie Johnson) 1 minute 10 seconds
If it seems that I am far away on this empty and solemn day;
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
If during the day things are going wrong
please don’t feel sad and alone;
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
When night time falls and the day is done,
if you are feeling alone and sleep won’t come,
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
Close your eyes, and feel the warm embrace;
sleep peacefully in the wings of grace.
If sadness finds you in the morning light,
if you feel alone, don’t give up trying.
Hold this feather close and know it’s true
that I am always here with you.
I Do Not Think My Song Will End (John Hathcock) 50 seconds
I do not think my song will end
while flowers, grass and trees
abound with birds and butterflies
for I am one with these.
And I believe my voice will sound
upon the whispering wind
so long as even one remains
among those I call ‘friend’.
I shall remain in hearts and minds
of loved ones that I knew,
and in the rocks and hills and streams
because I love those, too.
So long as love and hope and dreams
abide in earth and sky,
weep not for me, though I be gone,
I shall not really die.
I Will Wait for You (by Stephen O'Brien) 1 minute 20 seconds
I will wait for you...
Though we never had a chance to say goodbye,
remember me...
When winter snows are falling through a quiet sky,
I'll remember you.
When, in our darkest hour,
you held my hand and prayed I wouldn't go,
but a silent voice called out to me;
my time had come, and I had to travel Home...
Since then, I know your life has never been the same,
for I visit you each day:
so many times I've felt your pain:
I've watched you cry,
and I've heard you call my name...
But now, further along life's road I stand
in a timeless world, just beyond your sight,
but waiting for the day when I can take your hand
and bring you across to this Land of Golden Light...
Till then, remember me, you understand - and try not to cry.
But if you do,
let your tears fall
for the happiness and joy we knew,
and for the special love we shared;
for love can never die.
If I should go (Joyce Grenfell) 25 seconds
If I should go before the rest of you
break not a flower, nor inscribe a stone
nor when I'm gone speak in a Sunday voice
but be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must, parting is hell
but life goes on, so sing as well.
If I should go tomorrow (author unknown) 25 seconds
If I should go tomorrow
it would never be goodbye,
for I have left my heart with you,
so don’t you ever cry.
The love that’s deep within me
shall reach you from the stars;
you’ll feel it from the heavens,
and it will heal the scars.
If Only Life (author unknown) 35 seconds
If only life could just stand still
at some appropriate time,
when every day is fragrant and bright
and the sun seems to shine all the time.
But life cannot stand still, and to live we must
have our share of its heartaches and fears;
for we never could help another's sad heart
if we hadn't known tears through the years.
Intimations of Immortality (William Wordsworth) 25 seconds
What though the radiance which was once so bright
be now for ever taken from my sight,
though nothing can bring back the hour
of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
we will grieve not, rather find
strength in what remains behind.
Leave me in peace (author unknown) 35 seconds
suitable towards the end of the funeral
When I’m dead, cry for me a little,
think of me sometimes – but not too much.
Think of me now and again – as I was in life,
at some moments it is pleasant to recall, but not for too long.
Leave me in peace, and I will leave you in peace,
and while you live let your thoughts be for the living.
Let me (Attrib. Etienne de Grellet, 1773-1885) 25 seconds
I expect to pass through this world but once.
Any good, therefore, that I can do,
or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature,
let me do it now.
Let me not defer nor neglect it,
for I shall not pass this way again.
Life Well Lived (author unknown) 40 seconds
A life well lived is a precious gift,
of hope and strength and grace,
from someone who has made our world
a brighter, better place.
It's filled with moments sweet and sad,
with smiles and sometimes tears,
with friendships formed and good times shared,
and laughter through the years.
A life well lived is a legacy,
of joy and pride and pleasure,
a living, lasting memory
our grateful heart's will treasure.
Look for me in Rainbows 1 minute 15 seconds
Time for me to go now, I won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Time for me to leave you, I won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
just look for me and love me, and I’ll be close to you.
It won’t be forever; the day will come and then
my loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.
Time for us to part now, we won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through,
just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Just wish me to be near,
and I’ll be there with you.
My Life Here (Janice Ross) 1 minute 15 seconds
Although my life here has come to an end
and you’ve come to say your goodbye,
I will always be standing beside you,
so please don’t be sad and don’t cry.
I know that you all now are grieving,
and the pain in your hearts so real;
just remember the things that you gave me,
to love, to be loved and to feel.
I don’t just want to be remembered
with sadness, with hurt and with pain,
but to hear you talk of the things we shared
and to see you all laugh again.
Just remember me for the fun we had
and remember the good times we shared;
remember the ways that I loved all of you,
and remember always I cared.
Please give strength to each other, dear family and friends,
enjoy life and carry on;
for while I’m in your prayers and thoughts, my dears,
you know that I’ll never be gone.
My Soul has Wings (author unknown) 20 seconds
When I die and leave behind
this earth I love, these trees, this sky,
the pounding sea, the yearly hope of spring...
Cry not for me, Rejoice!
My soul has wings
and in its freedom sings.
No Longer Mourn For Me (Sonnet 71, William Shakespeare) 1 minute
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
give warning to the world that I am fled
from this vile world with vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
the hand that writ it, for I love you so
that I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
if thinking on me then should make you woe.
O if, I say, you look upon this verse
when I perhaps compounded am with clay,
do not so much as my poor name rehearse,
but let your love even with my life decay,
lest the wise world should look into your moan
and mock you with me after I am gone.
On Dying (Bishop Charles Henry Brent) 1 minute 25 seconds
This poem is sometimes known as ‘The Ship’ or ‘Horizons’.
There is a shortened version of this poem further down.
I am standing upon that foreshore,
a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand and watch her until, at length,
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, "There! She's gone."
"Gone where?"
"Gone from my sight, that's all",
she is just as large in mast and spar and hull
as ever she was when she left my side;
just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of her destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment
when someone at my side says,
"There! She’s gone!"
there are other eyes watching her coming
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.
Yes; life is eternal and love is immortal,
and death is only an horizon.
And an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
Shortened version: 45 seconds
I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea.
The setting sun tinted its sails with a golden light,
and as it disappeared from sight,
a voice at my side whispered “She is gone.”
But the sea was a narrow one.
On the farther shore,
a little band of friends had gathered
to watch and wait in happy expectation.
Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and,
at the very moment when the voice had whispered “She is gone”,
a glad shout went up in joyous welcome,
“Here she comes!”
One at Rest (Author Unknown) 1 minute 10 seconds
Think of me as one at rest
for me you should not weep;
I have no pain no troubled thoughts,
for I am just asleep.
The living thinking me that was
is now forever still,
and life goes on without me now
as time forever will.
If your heart is heavy now
because I've gone away,
dwell not long upon it, friend,
for none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me,
I sincerely thank you all,
and those of you who loved me
I thank you most of all.
And in my fleeting lifespan,
as time went rushing by,
I found some time to hesitate;
to laugh, to love, to cry.
Matters it now if time began,
if time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all
and now I am at peace.
Petals in the Breeze (Heather FewinsRemember me when I am gone away, ) 1 minute 15 seconds
The nights are drawing in, yet the stars still come out to play.
Fireflies are fading, so they’ll dance the dawn away.
Time is always running out, but it does not run alone;
rivers will forge pathways, no matter the strength of stone.
Fate may not always smile kindly, but even it can laugh;
hopefully fade and flicker, but it is the dark times that pass.
Hate will storm and rage, yet love still stands with open arms.
Sticks and stone may break bones, yet they cannot match open palms.
All clouds are born of the sun, but no two are the same.
Think not on what is lost, but on what may yet be gained.
And even in the darkest days of winter’s shroud of leaves,
there is much warmth to be found in petals dancing in the breeze.
Remember me (Christina Rossetti) 1 minute
Remember me when I am gone away,
gone far away into the silent land;
when you can no more hold me by the hand,
nor I half turn to go yet turning, stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
you tell me of our future that you planned;
only remember me; you understand
it will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
and afterwards remember, do not grieve;
for if the darkness and corruption leave
a vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
better by far you should forget and smile
than that you should remember and be sad.
Remembrance (Marion Griffin) 45 seconds
You are not gone
while still I see
your face in my thoughts and dreams,
your smile to stem the tears;
You are not gone
while still I hear
your voice in distant echoes,
your laugh to calm my fears;
You are not gone
while still I feel
your hand reaching out for mine,
your presence always there;
You are not gone
while still I have
your love to keep in my heart,
and family joys to share;
While still I have
the memory of you,
you are not gone.
She is gone (David Harkins) 1 minute 10 seconds
(This modified version is based on an original poem by David Harkins called "Remember Me")
You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
or you can be full of the love that you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she is gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what she would want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Something Beautiful Remains (author unknown) 25 seconds
The tide recedes but leaves behind
bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle
warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes
on in sweet refrains...
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains.
Song (Christina Rosetti) 45 seconds
(Suitable for burials, or interment of ashes)
When I am dead, my dearest,
sing no sad songs for me:
plant thou no roses at my head,
nor shady cypress tree:
be the green grass above me
with showers and dewdrops wet;
and if thou wilt, remember,
and if this wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
sing on, as if in pain:
and dreaming through the twilight
that doth not rise or set,
haply I may remember,
and haply may forget.
The Measure of a Man (author unknown) 45 seconds
Not how did he die, but how did he live?
Not what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not, what was his church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with word of good cheer,
to bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
but how many were sorry when he passed away.
The Road Not Taken (by Robert Frost) 1 minute 10 seconds
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and sorry I could not travel both
and be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
and having perhaps the better claim,
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
and both that morning equally lay
in leaves no step had trodden black;
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference.
Those we love (Author Unknown) 15 seconds
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day,
unseen, unheard, but always near;
still loved, still missed, still very dear.
To Those Whom I Love & Those Who Love Me (Mary Alice Ramish) 1 minute 15 seconds
When I am gone, release me; let me go.
I have so many things to see and do,
you must not tie yourself to me with tears;
be happy that I have had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
how much you gave me in happiness;
I thank you for the love each has shown,
but now it is time I travelled on alone.
So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must,
then let your grief be comforted by trust;
it is only for a while that we must part,
so bless the memories in your heart.
I will not be far away, for life goes on,
so if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you cannot see or touch me, I will be near
and if you listen with your heart, you will hear
all of my love around you soft and clear.
When I must leave you (by Helen Steiner Rice) 50 seconds
When I must leave you for a little while,
please do not grieve and shed wild tears
and hug your sorrow to you through the years;
but start out bravely with a gallant smile
and for my sake, and in my name,
live on and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness on empty days
but fill each waking hour in useful ways;
reach out your hand in comfort and cheer
and I in turn will comfort you and hold you near.
And never, never be afraid to die;
for I am waiting for you in the sky.
Whispers in the Breeze (Greg McVickers) 1 minute 45 seconds
This poem is especially suitable for burials/interment of ashes.
Realizing my innermost fears,
choking back the steady stream of tears,
not knowing your time had come;
without you I feel so numb.
Just a whisper in the breeze
brought my world down to its knees
the day that you were called away;
Paradise is where you now stay.
When the days do come to pass,
I'll call upon your bed of grass,
Comfort inside knowing you're there
Looking up at my vacant stare.
The silence I exchange with thee
Speaks volumes, I'm sure this you'll see
my shadow it casts across your grave
while I stand so lonely, I stand so brave.
Now the days they seem so long;
in my arms is where you belong.
I close my eyes and hear you speak;
you call my name, my legs grow weak.
Together we promised that we would grow old,
we thought our happiness would never unfold;
I'll kneel at your feet with my head hung low,
Thoughts in my mind, which you already know.
This quality time with you I spend
will hopefully help my broken heart mend;
Feeling guilty when I turn to leave
Returning home, I continue to grieve.
When my term approaches death,
Time to exhale one final breath,
I wonder if others will fall to their knees
when my name whispers in the breeze.
I’d like the memory of me
to be a happy one.
I’d like to leave an afterglow
of smiles when life is done.
I’d like to leave an echo
whispering softly down the ways,
of happy times and laughing times
and bright and sunny days.
I’d like the tears of those who grieve,
to dry before the sun.
It’s happy memories I leave you, my friends,
when my life is done.
Because I could not stop for Death (Emily Dickinson) 40 seconds
(This poem is suitable for burials/interment of ashes)
Because I could not stop for Death,
he kindly stopped for me;
the carriage held but just ourselves
and Immortality.
We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
and I had put away
my labour, and my leisure too,
for his civility.
We passed the school where children played,
their lessons scarcely done;
we passed the fields of gazing grain,
we passed the setting sun.
We paused before a house that seemed
a swelling of the ground;
the roof was scarcely visible,
the cornice but a mound.
Christmas from the Heart (Judy Burnette) 1 minute 10 seconds
I heard your voice in the wind today
and I turned to see your face;
the warmth of the wind caressed me
as I stood silently in place.
I felt your touch in the sun today
as its warmth filled the sky;
I closed my eyes for your embrace
and my spirit soared high.
I saw your eyes in the window pane
as I watched the falling rain;
it seemed as each raindrop fell
it quietly said your name.
I held you close in my heart today
it made me feel complete;
you may have died... but you are not gone
you will always be a part of me.
As long as the sun shines...
the wind blows...
the rain falls...
You will live on inside of me forever,
for that is all my heart knows.
Crossing Over (author unknown) 1 minute
Oh, please don't feel guilty
it was just my time to go.
I see you are still feeling sad,
and the tears just seem to flow.
We all come to earth for our lifetime,
and for some it's not many years
I don't want you to keep crying
you are shedding so many tears.
I haven't really left you
even though it may seem so.
I have just gone to my heavenly home,
and I'm closer to you than you know.
Just believe that when you say
my name, I'm standing next to you,
I know you long to see me,
but there's nothing I can do.
But I'll still send you messages
and hope you understand,
that when your time comes to
cross over, I'll be there to take your hand.
Dear Friends I go (author unknown) 1 minute 10 seconds
Dear friends I go, but do not weep;
I've lived my life, so full and deep.
Throughout my life, I gave my best,
I earned my keep, I've earned my rest.
I never tried to be great or grand,
I tried to be a helping hand.
If I helped in a team, if I helped on my own,
it was more than repaid by good family and friends I have known;
and if I went the extra mile,
I did it with pleasure - it was all worthwhile.
If I brightened your path, then let it be
a small contribution from my loved ones and me;
now sadly I leave you and travel alone
through a mystic veil to the great unknown,
with such beautiful memories
that will forever be
the way that I hope you'll remember me.
Death is a Door (Nancy Byrd Turner) 30 seconds
Death is only an old door
set in a garden wall
on gentle hinges it gives, at dusk
when the thrushes call.
Along the lintel are green leaves
beyond the light lies still;
very willing and weary feet
go over that cill.
There is nothing to trouble any heart;
nothing to hurt at all.
Death is only a quiet door
in an old wall.
Death is nothing at all (Canon Henry Scott-Holland) 1 minute 30 seconds
(also known as ‘All is well’)
A shortened version is available, and follows this full version.
Death is nothing at all;
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you;
whatever we were to each other
that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name;
speak to me in the easy way you always used.
Put no difference into your tone,
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow;
Laugh as we always laughed
at the little jokes we always enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me;
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort,
without the ghost of a shadow in it.
Life means all that it ever meant;
it is the same as it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval,
somewhere very near,
Just around the corner;
all is well.
Nothing is past; nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before;
how we shall laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again!
Shortened Version: 30 seconds
Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other,
that we are still...
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you for an interval;
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.
Do not stand at my grave and weep (attributed to Mary Frye) 45 seconds
Suitable for a burial, or if ashes are to be interred
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 sunlight 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 circled flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die.
Don’t weep for me (Author unknown) 1 minute 25 seconds
Don’t weep for me, for it was time
to slip life’s bonds and soar and climb.
Do not grieve for what is past,
for bodies are not meant to last.
Expendable, their only role
a growing medium for the soul.
Don’t store my books, don’t wear my rings
or cling to clothes or other things
of sentimental value, for
you do not need them anymore.
Browse through photos for a while,
but only if they make you smile
and call to mind how much we cared,
the things we did, the times we shared;
but do not sigh and wish them back,
or dress yourself in hopeless black,
for clouds will part and larks will rise –
the wheel must turn to make us wise.
And this is how ‘twill ever be:
I’m part of you, you’re part of me.
At every dawning’s golden flare,
each velvet nightfall, I’ll be there.
On woodland walk, by tossing sea,
some elemental part of me
will ride the wind and sing its song,
for each to each we all belong.
Your happiness will set me free;
beloved, do not weep for me.
Fear no more the heat o' the sun (William Shakespeare) 1 minute 10 seconds
Fear no more the heat o' the sun;
nor the furious winter's rages,
thou thy worldly task hast done,
home art gone, and ta'en thy wages;
golden lads and girls all must,
as chimney sweepers, come to dust.
Fear no more the frown of the great,
thou art past the tyrant's stroke:
care no more to clothe and eat;
to thee the reed is as the oak:
the sceptre, learning, psychic, must
all follow this, and come to dust.
Fear no more the lightning-flash,
nor the all-dread thunder-stone;
fear not slander, censure rash;
thou hast finished joy and moan;
all lovers young, all lovers must
consign to thee, and come to dust.
No exorciser harm thee!
Nor no witchcraft charm thee!
Ghost unlaid forbear thee!
Nothing ill come near thee!
Quiet consummation have;
and renownėd be thy grave!
Funeral Blues (W H Auden) 1 minute 10 seconds
Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone.
silence the pianos and with muffled drum;
bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.
Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead,
put crépe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.
He was my North, my South, my East and West,
my working week and my Sunday rest,
my noon, my midnight, my talk, my song,
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.
The stars are not wanted now, put out every one;
pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood,
for nothing now can ever come to any good.
He is gone (David Harkins) 1 minute
(This modified version is based on an original poem by David Harkins called "Remember Me")
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back
or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love that you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live for yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he is gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what he would want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
I am still with you (from Wings of Grace by Julie Johnson) 1 minute 10 seconds
If it seems that I am far away on this empty and solemn day;
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
If during the day things are going wrong
please don’t feel sad and alone;
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
When night time falls and the day is done,
if you are feeling alone and sleep won’t come,
just open your heart and know it’s true
that I am still right here with you.
Close your eyes, and feel the warm embrace;
sleep peacefully in the wings of grace.
If sadness finds you in the morning light,
if you feel alone, don’t give up trying.
Hold this feather close and know it’s true
that I am always here with you.
I Do Not Think My Song Will End (John Hathcock) 50 seconds
I do not think my song will end
while flowers, grass and trees
abound with birds and butterflies
for I am one with these.
And I believe my voice will sound
upon the whispering wind
so long as even one remains
among those I call ‘friend’.
I shall remain in hearts and minds
of loved ones that I knew,
and in the rocks and hills and streams
because I love those, too.
So long as love and hope and dreams
abide in earth and sky,
weep not for me, though I be gone,
I shall not really die.
I Will Wait for You (by Stephen O'Brien) 1 minute 20 seconds
I will wait for you...
Though we never had a chance to say goodbye,
remember me...
When winter snows are falling through a quiet sky,
I'll remember you.
When, in our darkest hour,
you held my hand and prayed I wouldn't go,
but a silent voice called out to me;
my time had come, and I had to travel Home...
Since then, I know your life has never been the same,
for I visit you each day:
so many times I've felt your pain:
I've watched you cry,
and I've heard you call my name...
But now, further along life's road I stand
in a timeless world, just beyond your sight,
but waiting for the day when I can take your hand
and bring you across to this Land of Golden Light...
Till then, remember me, you understand - and try not to cry.
But if you do,
let your tears fall
for the happiness and joy we knew,
and for the special love we shared;
for love can never die.
If I should go (Joyce Grenfell) 25 seconds
If I should go before the rest of you
break not a flower, nor inscribe a stone
nor when I'm gone speak in a Sunday voice
but be the usual selves that I have known.
Weep if you must, parting is hell
but life goes on, so sing as well.
If I should go tomorrow (author unknown) 25 seconds
If I should go tomorrow
it would never be goodbye,
for I have left my heart with you,
so don’t you ever cry.
The love that’s deep within me
shall reach you from the stars;
you’ll feel it from the heavens,
and it will heal the scars.
If Only Life (author unknown) 35 seconds
If only life could just stand still
at some appropriate time,
when every day is fragrant and bright
and the sun seems to shine all the time.
But life cannot stand still, and to live we must
have our share of its heartaches and fears;
for we never could help another's sad heart
if we hadn't known tears through the years.
Intimations of Immortality (William Wordsworth) 25 seconds
What though the radiance which was once so bright
be now for ever taken from my sight,
though nothing can bring back the hour
of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower;
we will grieve not, rather find
strength in what remains behind.
Leave me in peace (author unknown) 35 seconds
suitable towards the end of the funeral
When I’m dead, cry for me a little,
think of me sometimes – but not too much.
Think of me now and again – as I was in life,
at some moments it is pleasant to recall, but not for too long.
Leave me in peace, and I will leave you in peace,
and while you live let your thoughts be for the living.
Let me (Attrib. Etienne de Grellet, 1773-1885) 25 seconds
I expect to pass through this world but once.
Any good, therefore, that I can do,
or any kindness I can show to any fellow creature,
let me do it now.
Let me not defer nor neglect it,
for I shall not pass this way again.
Life Well Lived (author unknown) 40 seconds
A life well lived is a precious gift,
of hope and strength and grace,
from someone who has made our world
a brighter, better place.
It's filled with moments sweet and sad,
with smiles and sometimes tears,
with friendships formed and good times shared,
and laughter through the years.
A life well lived is a legacy,
of joy and pride and pleasure,
a living, lasting memory
our grateful heart's will treasure.
Look for me in Rainbows 1 minute 15 seconds
Time for me to go now, I won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows way up in the sky.
In the morning sunrise when all the world is new,
just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Time for me to leave you, I won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows, high up in the sky.
In the evening sunset, when all the world is through,
just look for me and love me, and I’ll be close to you.
It won’t be forever; the day will come and then
my loving arms will hold you, when we meet again.
Time for us to part now, we won’t say goodbye;
look for me in rainbows shining in the sky.
Every waking moment, and all your whole life through,
just look for me and love me, as you know I loved you.
Just wish me to be near,
and I’ll be there with you.
My Life Here (Janice Ross) 1 minute 15 seconds
Although my life here has come to an end
and you’ve come to say your goodbye,
I will always be standing beside you,
so please don’t be sad and don’t cry.
I know that you all now are grieving,
and the pain in your hearts so real;
just remember the things that you gave me,
to love, to be loved and to feel.
I don’t just want to be remembered
with sadness, with hurt and with pain,
but to hear you talk of the things we shared
and to see you all laugh again.
Just remember me for the fun we had
and remember the good times we shared;
remember the ways that I loved all of you,
and remember always I cared.
Please give strength to each other, dear family and friends,
enjoy life and carry on;
for while I’m in your prayers and thoughts, my dears,
you know that I’ll never be gone.
My Soul has Wings (author unknown) 20 seconds
When I die and leave behind
this earth I love, these trees, this sky,
the pounding sea, the yearly hope of spring...
Cry not for me, Rejoice!
My soul has wings
and in its freedom sings.
No Longer Mourn For Me (Sonnet 71, William Shakespeare) 1 minute
No longer mourn for me when I am dead
than you shall hear the surly sullen bell
give warning to the world that I am fled
from this vile world with vilest worms to dwell:
Nay, if you read this line, remember not
the hand that writ it, for I love you so
that I in your sweet thoughts would be forgot,
if thinking on me then should make you woe.
O if, I say, you look upon this verse
when I perhaps compounded am with clay,
do not so much as my poor name rehearse,
but let your love even with my life decay,
lest the wise world should look into your moan
and mock you with me after I am gone.
On Dying (Bishop Charles Henry Brent) 1 minute 25 seconds
This poem is sometimes known as ‘The Ship’ or ‘Horizons’.
There is a shortened version of this poem further down.
I am standing upon that foreshore,
a ship at my side spreads her white sails to the morning breeze
and starts for the blue ocean.
She is an object of beauty and strength
and I stand and watch her until, at length,
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come down to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, "There! She's gone."
"Gone where?"
"Gone from my sight, that's all",
she is just as large in mast and spar and hull
as ever she was when she left my side;
just as able to bear her load of living freight
to the place of her destination.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.
And just at that moment
when someone at my side says,
"There! She’s gone!"
there are other eyes watching her coming
and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,
"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.
Yes; life is eternal and love is immortal,
and death is only an horizon.
And an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.
Shortened version: 45 seconds
I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea.
The setting sun tinted its sails with a golden light,
and as it disappeared from sight,
a voice at my side whispered “She is gone.”
But the sea was a narrow one.
On the farther shore,
a little band of friends had gathered
to watch and wait in happy expectation.
Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and,
at the very moment when the voice had whispered “She is gone”,
a glad shout went up in joyous welcome,
“Here she comes!”
One at Rest (Author Unknown) 1 minute 10 seconds
Think of me as one at rest
for me you should not weep;
I have no pain no troubled thoughts,
for I am just asleep.
The living thinking me that was
is now forever still,
and life goes on without me now
as time forever will.
If your heart is heavy now
because I've gone away,
dwell not long upon it, friend,
for none of us can stay.
Those of you who liked me,
I sincerely thank you all,
and those of you who loved me
I thank you most of all.
And in my fleeting lifespan,
as time went rushing by,
I found some time to hesitate;
to laugh, to love, to cry.
Matters it now if time began,
if time will ever cease?
I was here, I used it all
and now I am at peace.
Petals in the Breeze (Heather FewinsRemember me when I am gone away, ) 1 minute 15 seconds
The nights are drawing in, yet the stars still come out to play.
Fireflies are fading, so they’ll dance the dawn away.
Time is always running out, but it does not run alone;
rivers will forge pathways, no matter the strength of stone.
Fate may not always smile kindly, but even it can laugh;
hopefully fade and flicker, but it is the dark times that pass.
Hate will storm and rage, yet love still stands with open arms.
Sticks and stone may break bones, yet they cannot match open palms.
All clouds are born of the sun, but no two are the same.
Think not on what is lost, but on what may yet be gained.
And even in the darkest days of winter’s shroud of leaves,
there is much warmth to be found in petals dancing in the breeze.
Remember me (Christina Rossetti) 1 minute
Remember me when I am gone away,
gone far away into the silent land;
when you can no more hold me by the hand,
nor I half turn to go yet turning, stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
you tell me of our future that you planned;
only remember me; you understand
it will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
and afterwards remember, do not grieve;
for if the darkness and corruption leave
a vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
better by far you should forget and smile
than that you should remember and be sad.
Remembrance (Marion Griffin) 45 seconds
You are not gone
while still I see
your face in my thoughts and dreams,
your smile to stem the tears;
You are not gone
while still I hear
your voice in distant echoes,
your laugh to calm my fears;
You are not gone
while still I feel
your hand reaching out for mine,
your presence always there;
You are not gone
while still I have
your love to keep in my heart,
and family joys to share;
While still I have
the memory of you,
you are not gone.
She is gone (David Harkins) 1 minute 10 seconds
(This modified version is based on an original poem by David Harkins called "Remember Me")
You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back
or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
or you can be full of the love that you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her and only that she is gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,
or you can do what she would want:
smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
Something Beautiful Remains (author unknown) 25 seconds
The tide recedes but leaves behind
bright seashells on the sand.
The sun goes down, but gentle
warmth still lingers on the land.
The music stops, and yet it echoes
on in sweet refrains...
For every joy that passes,
something beautiful remains.
Song (Christina Rosetti) 45 seconds
(Suitable for burials, or interment of ashes)
When I am dead, my dearest,
sing no sad songs for me:
plant thou no roses at my head,
nor shady cypress tree:
be the green grass above me
with showers and dewdrops wet;
and if thou wilt, remember,
and if this wilt, forget.
I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
sing on, as if in pain:
and dreaming through the twilight
that doth not rise or set,
haply I may remember,
and haply may forget.
The Measure of a Man (author unknown) 45 seconds
Not how did he die, but how did he live?
Not what did he gain, but what did he give?
These are the units to measure the worth
of a man as a man, regardless of birth.
Not, what was his church, nor what was his creed?
But had he befriended those really in need?
Was he ever ready, with word of good cheer,
to bring back a smile, to banish a tear?
Not what did the sketch in the newspaper say,
but how many were sorry when he passed away.
The Road Not Taken (by Robert Frost) 1 minute 10 seconds
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
and sorry I could not travel both
and be one traveller, long I stood
and looked down one as far as I could
to where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair
and having perhaps the better claim,
because it was grassy and wanted wear;
though as for that, the passing there
had worn them really about the same,
and both that morning equally lay
in leaves no step had trodden black;
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less travelled by,
and that has made all the difference.
Those we love (Author Unknown) 15 seconds
Those we love don't go away;
they walk beside us every day,
unseen, unheard, but always near;
still loved, still missed, still very dear.
To Those Whom I Love & Those Who Love Me (Mary Alice Ramish) 1 minute 15 seconds
When I am gone, release me; let me go.
I have so many things to see and do,
you must not tie yourself to me with tears;
be happy that I have had so many years.
I gave you my love, you can only guess
how much you gave me in happiness;
I thank you for the love each has shown,
but now it is time I travelled on alone.
So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must,
then let your grief be comforted by trust;
it is only for a while that we must part,
so bless the memories in your heart.
I will not be far away, for life goes on,
so if you need me, call and I will come.
Though you cannot see or touch me, I will be near
and if you listen with your heart, you will hear
all of my love around you soft and clear.
When I must leave you (by Helen Steiner Rice) 50 seconds
When I must leave you for a little while,
please do not grieve and shed wild tears
and hug your sorrow to you through the years;
but start out bravely with a gallant smile
and for my sake, and in my name,
live on and do all things the same.
Feed not your loneliness on empty days
but fill each waking hour in useful ways;
reach out your hand in comfort and cheer
and I in turn will comfort you and hold you near.
And never, never be afraid to die;
for I am waiting for you in the sky.
Whispers in the Breeze (Greg McVickers) 1 minute 45 seconds
This poem is especially suitable for burials/interment of ashes.
Realizing my innermost fears,
choking back the steady stream of tears,
not knowing your time had come;
without you I feel so numb.
Just a whisper in the breeze
brought my world down to its knees
the day that you were called away;
Paradise is where you now stay.
When the days do come to pass,
I'll call upon your bed of grass,
Comfort inside knowing you're there
Looking up at my vacant stare.
The silence I exchange with thee
Speaks volumes, I'm sure this you'll see
my shadow it casts across your grave
while I stand so lonely, I stand so brave.
Now the days they seem so long;
in my arms is where you belong.
I close my eyes and hear you speak;
you call my name, my legs grow weak.
Together we promised that we would grow old,
we thought our happiness would never unfold;
I'll kneel at your feet with my head hung low,
Thoughts in my mind, which you already know.
This quality time with you I spend
will hopefully help my broken heart mend;
Feeling guilty when I turn to leave
Returning home, I continue to grieve.
When my term approaches death,
Time to exhale one final breath,
I wonder if others will fall to their knees
when my name whispers in the breeze.