Words of Comfort

If you are searching through funeral poems for those special words, then the following may be of help to you.

• You may want a poem to give as comfort to someone recently bereaved?
• Maybe you have a eulogy to write and want something inspiring to include?
• Whatever your need, you'll find many of the best loved and known verses printed below.
• To the best of our knowledge all of the material here is freely available in the public domain and not subject to copy-right laws or is available for 'fair use'.
• However if we have unintentionally infringed anyone's copyright please contact us, we will remove the material immediately.
• These funeral poems and verses are in no particular order, you will recognize some as old friends, some will be new to you.
• However, all of them deal with thoughts and emotions associated with the fundamental questions around death, dying, grief, loss and life.

We hope this resource may be of some use and comfort to you.

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Death is Nothing at All

Henry Scott Holland

Death is nothing at all
I have just 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 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 enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be forever the household word it always was.
Let it be spoken without an effort,
Without the ghost of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant;
It is the same as it ever was;
There is absolutely unbroken continuity.
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.

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Do Not Stand at My Grave

Mary Frye

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 glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning 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 weep.
I am not there,
I do not sleep.
(Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!)

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May The Roads Rise Up To Meet You

May the roads rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
May the rains fall soft upon your fields
And until we meet again
May God hold you in the palm of his hand

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Miss Me But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road
And the sun has set for me,
I want no rites in a gloom-filled room;
Why cry for a soul set free?
Miss me a little - but not too long
And not with your head bowed low.
Remember the love that we once shared.
Miss me - but let me go.
For this is a journey that we all must take
And each must go alone.
It's all a part of the Master's plan,
A step on the road to home.
When you are lonely and sick of heart,
Go to the friends we know
And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds.
Miss me - but let me go.

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One At Rest

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.

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In Flanders Fields

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we
lie In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

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A Child Loaned

Anonymous

I'll lend you for a little time
A child of Mine." He said.
"For you to love the while he lives
And mourn for when he's dead.
It may be six or seven year
Or twenty-two or three
But will you, till I call him back
Take care of him for Me?
He'll bring his charms to gladden you
And should his stay be brief,
You'll have his lovely memories
As solace for your grief.

I cannot promise he will stay
Since all from Earth return,
But there are lessons taught down there
I want the child to learn.
I've looked this wide world over
In my search for teacher's true,
And from the throngs that crowd life's lanes,
I have selected you;
Now will you give him all your love,
Nor think the labour vain
Nor hate Me when I come to call
And take him back again?

I fancied that I heard them say,
"Dear Lord, They will be done,
For all the joy Thy child shall bring,
For the risk of grief we'll run.
We'll shelter him with tenderness,
We'll love him while we may,
And for the happiness we've known,
Forever grateful stay.
But should the angels call for him
Much sooner than we planned,
We'll brave the bitter grief that comes
And try to understand."

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Adaptation of Ecclesiastes Chapter 3

For everything there is a season
a time for every occupation under heaven
a time to be born, a time to die
a time for planting, a time for uprooting
a time for tears, a time for laughter
a time for mourning, a time for dancing
a time for searching, a time for loosing
a time for conflict, and a time for peace

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Remember

From: Goblin Market, The Prince's Progress and Other Poems. Christina Rosetti. 1879.

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 plann'd:
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.

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Sonnets X

John Donne

Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadfull, for, thou art not soe,
For, those, whom thou think'st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poore death, nor yet canst thou kill mee.
From rest and sleepe, which but thy pictures bee,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee doe goe,
Rest of their bones, and soules deliverie.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings, and desperate men,
And dost with poyson, warre, and sicknesse dwell,
And poppie, or charmes can make us sleepe as well,
And better than thy stroake; why swell'st thou then?
One short sleepe past, wee wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; death, thou shalt die.

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Psalm 23 - The Lord's my Shepherd

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

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Love

Czeslaw Milosz

Love means to learn to look at yourself
The way one looks at distant things
For you are only one thing among many.
And whoever sees that way heals his heart,
Without knowing it, from various ills
A bird and a tree say to him: Friend.
Then he wants to use himself and things
So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.
It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:
Who serves best doesn't always understand.

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Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where this is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

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I Am Standing Upon The Seashore

Henry Van Dyke

I am standing upon the seashore.
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.
I stand and watch her until at length
she hangs like a speck of white cloud
just where the sea and sky come
to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;
"There, she is gone!"
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all.
She is just as large in mast and hull
and spar as she was when she left my side
and she is just as able to bear her
load of living freight to her destined port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone
at my side says, "There, she is 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.

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To Those Whom I love & Those Who Love Me

Anon.

When I am gone, release me, let me go.
I have so many things to see and do,
You mustn't tie yourself to me with too many tears,
But be thankful we had so many good years.

I gave you my love, and you can only guess
How much you've given me in happiness.
I thank you for the love that you have shown,
But now it is time I traveled on alone.

So grieve for me a while, if grieve you must,
Then let your grief be comforted by trust.
It is only for a while that we must part,
So treasure the memories within your heart.

I won't be far away for life goes on.
And if you need me, call and I will come.

Though you can't see or touch me, I will be near.
And if you listen with your heart, you'll hear,
All my love around you soft and clear.

And then, when you come this way alone,
I'll greet you with a smile and a 'Welcome Home'.

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Life Well Lived

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.

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Footprints

One night man had a dream.
He dreamed he was walking along a beach with the LORD.
Across the sky flashed scenes of his life.
For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:
One belonged to him, and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of his life flashed before him,
He looked back at the footprints in the sand.
He noticed that many times along the path of his life,
There was only one set of footprints.
He also noticed that this happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life…
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it.
"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you'd walk with me all the way.
But I have noticed that during the most recent
Troublesome times in my life,
There is only one set of footprints.
I don't understand why, when I needed you most,
You would leave me".

The LORD replied, "My precious child,
I love you and I would never leave you.
During the times of trial and suffering,
When you see only one set of footprints,
It was then that I carried you."

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Take time

Take time to gaze at a sunset sky
Where colours blaze to dazzle the eye.
Take time to watch a moonlit sea
And look in awe at a towering tree.
Take time to look in the heart of a flower
Adorned with diamonds from a gentle shower.
Take time to view a mountain high
With snowy peak ‘gainst bluest sky.
Take time to listen to the song of birds -
A paean of joy without need of words.
Take time to tell your closest friend
You love and loyalty will never end.
Take time to stop and stand and stare
At wonders round you everywhere.
Take time to make time -
For all too soon there is no more time.

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The priceless gifts in life

The priceless gifts in life
are not the ones wrapped up
and exchanged on special occasions,
But the gifts we give when
we give of ourselves.
It is the love that we share.
It is the comfort we lend at times of need.
It is the moments we spend together,
helping each other follow our dreams.
The most priceless gifts in life
are the understanding and caring,
that come from the heart.
And each and every one of us
has these gifts to offer...
Through the gift of ourselves.

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The Rose Beyond the Wall

A rose once grew where all could see,
Sheltered beside a garden wall,
And as the days passed swiftly by,
It spread it’s branches, straight and tall.
One day a beam of light shone through a crevice that had opened wide,
The rose bent gently toward the warmth and passed beyond to the other side.
Now, you who deeply feel its loss,
Be comforted the rose blooms there Its beauty even greater now,
Nurtured by God’s own loving care.

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That Person is a Success

That person is a success who lived well,
laughed often and loved much.
Who gained the respect of intelligent people
and the love of children.
Who filled his niche and accomplished his task.
Who leaves the world better than he found it.
Who never lacked appreciation of Earth’s beauty.
Who always looked for the best in others
and who gave the very best he had.

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The Last Farewell

Trevor Rowe

Dear friends, I go, but do not weep,
I’ve lived my life, so full, so 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,
I was more than repaid
By good 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.
But mostly I cherished the family I knew,
In a bond never-ending,
So precious, so true.
Now sadly I leave you, and travel alone,
Through the mystic veil
To the great unkown.
With such beautiful memories
That forever will be,
The way that I hope
You’ll remember me.

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To Mourn Too Long

To mourn too long for those
we love is self indulgent -
But to honour their memory
with a promise to live a little better
for having known them,
gives a purpose to their life -
and some reason for their death.

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The Hands of time

We cannot stop the hands of time
Nor live again the past
But we shall love and think of you
As long as time shall last

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A Prayer

Anonymous

The death of someone we love and care about
Is like the death of part of us.
No one else will ever call out from within us
Quite the same responses, the same feelings or actions or ideas.
Their death is an ending of one part of a story.
Lord as we look back over Rose’s life
We ask what we have received, what we can appropriate

And continue on in our own lives and what must be laid to rest.
Our love for her reminds us that our sharing
In one another’s lives brings both support and pain.
Our being parted from her reminds us of our own mortality
And that your love is enduring.

We thank you that our love for Rose draws us together
And gives us a new appreciation of one another
And of the beauty and fragility of relationships
Which mirror your grace and goodness to us.

Lord, time’s tide may wash her footprints from the shore
But not our love for her nor the influence of her life upon our own
Nor the ways in which they will ever be a sign for us
Of those things which really matter-which are eternal.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake. Amen.

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Crossing The Bar

Alfred, Lord Tennyson

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again to home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

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Please take what you need. Where the poem is attributed to a specific person, we included their name. Please do the same if you use any of them.