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Memorial & Funeral Poems

Here is a selection of poems for you to read at your loved one’s memorial.

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP BY MARY ELIZABETH 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 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 circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there; I did not die.

LET ME GO BY CHRISTINA GEORGINA ROSSETTI


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 for long,
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone.
It’s all part of the master plan
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the friends we know.
Laugh at all the things we used to do
Miss me, but let me g
o.

I’M THERE INSIDE YOUR HEART - BY UNKNOWN


Right now I’m in a different place
And though we seem apart
I’m closer than I ever was,
I’m there inside your heart.

I’m with you when you greet each day
And while the sun shines bright
I’m there to share the sunsets, too
I’m with you every night.

I’m with you when the times are good
To share a laugh or two,
And if a tear should start to fall
I’ll still be there for you.

And when that day arrives
That we no longer are apart,
I’ll smile and hold you close to me,
Forever in my heart.

FUNERAL BLUES (1936) BY W.H. AUDEN


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 crepe 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.

TO SLEEP BY JOHN KEATS


O soft embalmer of the still midnight,

Shutting, with careful fingers and benign,

Our gloom-pleas’d eyes, embower’d from the light,

Enshaded in forgetfulness divine:

O soothest Sleep! if so it please thee, close

In midst of this thine hymn my willing eyes,

Or wait the “Amen,” ere thy poppy throws

Around my bed its lulling charities.

Then save me, or the passed day will shine

Upon my pillow, breeding many woes,—

Save me from curious Conscience, that still lords

Its strength for darkness, burrowing like a mole;

Turn the key deftly in the oiled wards,

And seal the hushed Casket of my Soul.

WHEN I AM DEAD, MY DEAREST BY CHRISTINA ROSSETTI


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 thou 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 nor set, 

Haply I may remember, 

And haply may forget. 

THE LIFE THAT I HAVE BY LEO MARKS


The life that I have 

Is all that I have 

And the life that I have 

Is yours 

The love that I have

Of the life that I have 

Is yours and yours and yours. 

A sleep I shall have

A rest I shall have 

Yet death will be but a pause

For the peace of my years 

In the long green grass 

Will be yours and yours and yours.

DEATH (IF I SHOULD GO) BY JOYCE GRENFELL


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.

ROADS GO EVER ON BY J. R. R. TOLKIEN


(From Lord of the Rings)


Roads go ever ever on,

Over rock and under tree,

By caves where never sun has shone,

By streams that never find the sea;

Over snow by winter sown,

And through the merry flowers of June,

Over grass and over stone,

And under mountains in the moon.

Roads go ever ever on

Under cloud and under star,

Yet feet that wandering have gone

Turn at last to home afar.

Eyes that fire and sword have seen

And horror in the halls of stone

Look at last on meadows green

And trees and hills they long have known.

Roads go ever on and on

Out from the door where it began.

Now far ahead the Road has gone,

Let others follow it who can!

Let them a journey new begin,

But I at last with weary feet

Will turn towards the lighted inn,

My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

DEATH SETS A THING SIGNIFICANT BY EMILY DICKINSON


Death sets a thing significant

The eye had hurried by,

Except a perished creature

Entreat us tenderly 

To ponder little workmanships

In crayon or in wool,

With "This was last her fingers did,"

Industrious until

The thimble weighed too heavy,

The stitches stopped themselves,

And then 't was put among the dust

Upon the closet shelves.

A book I have, a friend gave,

Whose pencil, here and there,

Had notched the place that pleased him,--

At rest his fingers are.

Now, when I read, I read not,

For interrupting tears

Obliterate the etchings

Too costly for repairs.

DEAR LOVELY DEATH BY LANGSTON HUGHES


Dear lovely Death

That taketh all things under wing—

Never to kill—

Only to change

Into some other thing

This suffering flesh,

To make it either more or less,

But not again the same—

Dear lovely Death,

Change is thy other name.

REQUIEM BY ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON


Under the wide and starry sky,

Dig the grave and let me die.

Glad did I live and gladly die,

And I laid me down with a will

This be the verse you grave for me:

Here lies where he longed to be;

Home is the sailor, home from sea,

And the hunter home from the hill.

FAREWELL, SWEET DUST BY ELINOR WYLIE


Now I have lost you, I must scatter

All of you on the air henceforth;

Not that to me it can ever matter

But it's only fair to the rest of the earth.

Now especially, when it is winter

And the sun's not half so bright as he was,

Who wouldn't be glad to find a splinter

That once was you in the frozen grass?

Snowflakes, too, will be softer feathered,

Clouds, perhaps, will be whiter plumed;

Rain, whose brilliance you caught and gathered,

Purer silver have reassumed.

Farewell, sweet dust; I never was a miser:

Once, for a minute, I made you mine:

Now you are gone, I am none the wiser

But the leaves of the willow are as bright as wine.

DO NOT STAND AT MY GRAVE AND WEEP BY MARY ELIZABETH 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 glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn’s rain.

When you awaken in the morning’s hush,

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH


What though the radiance which was once so bright~

Be now forever 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.

SHE IS GONE BY DAVID HARKINS


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.

NO MATTER WHAT BY DEBI GLIORI


Small said: “But what about when you’re dead and gone? Would you love me then? Does love go on?”

Large held Small snug as they looked out at the night, at the moon in the dark and the stars shining bright.

“Small, look at the stars – how they shine and glow. Yet some of those stars died a long time ago. Still they shine in the evening skies… love, like starlight, never dies”.

DEATH IS NOTHING AT ALL BY HENRY SCOTT


Death is nothing at all.

It does not count.

I have only slipped away into the next room.

Nothing has happened.

Everything remains exactly as it was.

I am I, and you are you,

and the old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged.

Whatever we were to each other, that we are still.

Call me by the old familiar name.

Speak of me in the easy way which 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 that we 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 an effort, without the ghost of a shadow upon it.

Life means all that it ever meant.

It is the same as it ever was.

There is absolute and unbroken continuity.

What is this death but a negligible accident?

Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?

I am but waiting for you, for an interval,

somewhere very near,

just round the corner.

All is well.

Nothing is hurt; 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!

A List of UK Bereavement Support Organisations


Dealing with the loss of a loved one can be an overwhelming and challenging experience. In times of grief, having the right support and resources is crucial. Bereavement organisations play a vital role in providing assistance and guidance to individuals and families navigating the grieving process. 


At Fair Cremation, we understand the significance of this support, which is why we are committed to helping families during their time of need. As a family-run funeral company, we strive to provide compassionate care and reliable services to support bereaved families throughout their journey.


In addition to our services, there are numerous bereavement organisations available to offer specialised support. These organisations cater to individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and types of loss, ensuring that everyone can find the assistance they need.

Support Organisations

Here are some notable organisations that provide various forms of support:

Ataloss: Ataloss provides a variety of support services, information, helplines, and helpful resources for anyone who has been bereaved. Their website includes a searchable list of local, national, and specialist services across the UK. They also offer a free professional counselling web chat.


Ataloss.org and website:  https://www.ataloss.org/

Helpline number is

0800 448 0800

Bereavement Advice Centre: If you need practical guidance and advice on coping with grief, the Bereavement Advice Centre is here to help. They offer a free helpline for bereaved individuals and professionals, along with valuable information on their website.


Contact:

0800 634 9494 bereavementadvice.org

Beyond Words: Beyond Words provides books, e-books, and downloadable resources for individuals who find it easier to understand pictures than words, including those with learning difficulties. Their materials cover various topics related to loss and grief.


booksbeyondwords.co.uk

Childhood Bereavement Network: The Childhood Bereavement Network aims to improve the quality and range of bereavement support for children, young people, their families, and other caregivers. They offer information about support services.


Contact:

020 7843 6309 childhoodbereavementnetwork.org.uk

Compassionate Friends: Compassionate Friends is a charitable organisation dedicated to supporting bereaved parents, siblings, and grandparents who have experienced the death of a child or children. They provide a helpline for support and care.


Contact:

0345 123 2304

tcf.org.uk

Cruse Bereavement Care: Cruse Bereavement Care offers bereavement support through trained volunteers across the UK. They provide face-to-face counselling and support over the phone.


Contact:

0808 808 1677

cruse.org.uk

Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland: Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland offers bereavement support in Scotland through trained volunteers.


Contact:

0808 802 6161

crusescotland.org.uk

Dying Matters: Dying Matters provides information and resources to support those who have been bereaved. Their website offers valuable information and a helpful leaflet called "Being there."


Contact:

020 7520 8200

hospiceuk.org

Grief Encounter: Grief Encounter is a leading UK bereavement charity that offers free, professional support to bereaved children, young people, and their families. They provide various therapeutic services and a national helpline.


Contact:

0808 802 0111

griefencounter.org.uk

GriefShare: GriefShare is a support group in Northern Ireland led by individuals who have personally experienced bereavement.


Contact:

0800 395 5755

griefshare.org

The Buddhist Society: Offers classes, courses, and meditation instruction related to Buddhist teachings and practices. They may be able to provide advice or local contacts for organising Buddhist funeral services.


Contact:

020 7834 5858 

Source

Child Funeral Charity: Provides financial support for families struggling to cover the costs of a child's funeral. Applications need to be made before finalising funeral arrangements.


Contact:

01480 276 088

Source

Humani (Northern Ireland): The Humanist Association of Northern Ireland can provide celebrants for non-religious funerals.


Contact:

07818036404

Source

Humanist Society Scotland: Find a humanist funeral celebrant in your area if you live in Scotland.


Contact:

0300 302 0680

Source

Humanists UK: Humanists UK can help with non-religious funeral ceremonies and can provide celebrants in your area.



Contact:

020 7324 3060

Source

Institute of Civil Funerals: Provides information about arranging civil funerals, finding celebrants, and the history of this form of ceremony.


Contact:

014808 61411

Source

Muslim Council of Britain: Contact for advice on Muslim funeral ceremonies and customs.


Contact:

0845 26 26 786

Source

National Association of Funeral Directors: Offers a directory of registered funeral directors and provides advice on organising funerals.


Contact:

0121 711 1343 

Source

National Society of Allied and Independent Funeral Directors: Provides a directory of independent funeral directors in the UK.


Contact:

0345 230 6777 

Source

Natural Death Centre: Offers help, support, and guidance for planning funerals, including information on green burial sites and woodland burials.

Losing a loved one is never easy, but with the right support, guidance, and compassionate care, families can find solace and healing during their grieving process. 


Please note: The bereavement support organisations mentioned in this introduction are independent entities and not directly affiliated with Fair Cremation. Contact information and services provided are subject to change.

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