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Let the dead Past bury its dead! Act,— act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o’erhead! Seeing, shall take heart again. Learn to labor and to wait. Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! In the world’s broad field of battle, In the bivouac of Life, Be not like dumb, driven….
- Immortality by Clare Harner
- There Is No Night Without A Dawning by Helen Steiner Rice
- Turn Again to Life by Mary Lee Hall
- Farewell by Anne Bronte
- If I Should Go by Joyce Grenfell
- I Felt An Angel – Author Unknown
- His Journey’s Just Begun by Ellen Brenneman
- Peace My Heart by Rabindranath Tagore
- If I Should Go Tomorrow – Author Unknown
- Crossing The Bar by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
This inspirational poem about the death of a loved one invites us to look for them all around us in the beauty of the world. Written as if spoken by the deceased, the poem tells us that whilst their body may be given to the ground, their presence lives on. This comforting, heartfelt message doesn’t mean that we can’t miss someone, but it reminds us...
This short poem is a popular choice for funerals because it reminds us that despite the death of someone we cared about, the darkness of our grief will pass. Whilst death is hard to bear at first, this poem tells us that those who have died have found peace in a “brighter day.” That’s a reassuring thought for those who mourn.
This beautiful poem was perhaps made most famous for having been read at Princess Diana’s funeral. It urges the listener – the griever – to not mourn for long, but to embrace life once more. It tells us to look for those who are also in need of comfort and to take up the mantle left to us by the dearly departed.
This is another well known poem about death that reminds us not to think of it as a final goodbye. Instead, it encourages us to cherish the fond memories we have of our loved one so as to keep them alive within us. It also urges us to never let go of hope – hope that we will soon find joy and smiles where now we have anguish and tears.
Another poem written as if spoken by the departed, it urges those left behind to remain who they are and not let grief change them. Of course, it is always sad to say goodbye, but life has to go on and you have to keep on living it to the best of your abilities. You may also like (poems continue below): 1. 10 Of The Best Poems About Life Ever To Ha...
This poem about loss is not attributed to anyone in particular, but it is a true gift, whoever the author was. It tells us never to overlook the presence of a deceased loved one – the angel described in these words. Even though they may not be with us physically, they always remain with us in spirit.
Here’s another uplifting and inspirational poem about death that encourages us to think of a loved one not as gone, but as on another part of their journey. It doesn’t specifically talk about an afterlife, but if that is what you believe, this poem will be of great comfort to you. If you don’t believe in such things, it also talks about a person’s ...
When someone we care about dies, peace may seem a long way off in the future. But it needn’t be, as this poem shows. If we seek not to resist the passing, but to see it as a grand resolution to something beautiful – a life – we can have peace even as a loved one drifts away. It calls us to accept that nothing is permanent and to respect that life g...
Another poem of unknown origin, it calls us to look upon death not as a goodbye, but as a transition in how we communicate with our loved ones. No longer may they be here with us, but their love can always be felt – the heavens and stars in this verse possibly representing the world around us.
At first glance, this poem might appear to have little to do with death, but the metaphors it uses speak clearly of the transition from life to death. The ‘bar’ refers to a sandbar or submerged ridge between the ocean and a tidal river or estuary and the author hopes for a tide so large that there will be no waves on this ridge. Instead, as he emba...
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This time though he describes the airplanes as “moaning”. The first thing of importance to note is that the sound of the word “moaning” sounds a lot like the word mourning. But, it is also a noise associated with death or dying. This clever word choice is a feature of Auden’s poetry and can be seen throughout ‘Funeral Blues’.
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- Poetry Analyst And Editor
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- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
- Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream! For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem. The speaker of ‘A Psalm of Life’ begins by asking something of his listener.
- Life is real! Life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul. The narrator continues on with what reads as a desperate attempt to contradict what he was afraid of in the first stanza.
- Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end or way; But to act, that each to-morrow. Find us farther than to-day. The speaker continues his discussion of the purpose or point of life, He does not believe, nor will he even consider, the possibility that life is made to suffer through.
- Art is long, and Time is fleeting, And our hearts, though stout and brave, Still, like muffled drums, are beating. Funeral marches to the grave.
Learn to labor and to wait. " A Psalm of Life " is a poem written by American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, often subtitled "What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist". [1] Longfellow wrote the poem not long after the death of his first wife and while thinking about how to make the best of life.
Learn More. "A Psalm of Life" was written by the famed New England poet and professor Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. First published in 1838 in the New York literary magazine The Knickerbocker, the poem was inspired by a conversation between Longfellow and a fellow professor. As such, the poem is framed as a dramatic monologue spoken by the "Heart ...
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Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!Act,--act in the living Present! Heart within, and God o'erhead! Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime,And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time; Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main,A forlorn and ...
