The reading of a poem during the funeral service is incredibly powerful, as it allows the reader to express emotions, thoughts and memories, in a deep and meaningful way.
We have published this article to share the most popular poems used during funeral services, in a bid to inspire you when making your own choices. Although the reading of a poem can be incredibly personal to the reader, the use of poetry will connect all those in attendance, in remembering the departed and in celebration of their life.
We recommend including the words to any poems used in the funeral service in the Order of Service booklets, which are distributed before the service. This allows attendees to follow along with the readings and ensures the poems themselves, become part of the cherished keepsake, which all can reflect back on during the time following the service.
Popular Poems
Below you will find a selection of popular poems which are read at funeral services. Each of these poems hold significant meaning and will be received well by all those in attendance. To view the poem, simply click on the title below.
All Is Well (Henry Scott-Holland)
Death is nothing at all,
I have only slipped 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 which you always used
Put no difference in 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 ever the household word that it always was,
Let it be spoken without effect, without the trace of shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was, there is 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.
Poem by Henry Scott-Holland
Do Not Stand By My Grave And Weep (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 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!)
Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye
Funeral Blues (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 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.
Poem by W. H. Auden
Uplifting Poems
It is a misunderstand that funeral poems have to be filled with sorrow and sadness. Uplifting and happier poems are often extremely welcome and can help create a much lighter atmosphere. To view the poem, simply click on the title below.
If I Should Go Tomorrow (Christina Rossetti)
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.
Poem by Christina Rossetti
Afterglow (Helen Lowrie Marshall)
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;
Of happy memories that I leave when life is done.
Poem by Helen Lowrie Marshall
My Journey’s Just Begun (Ellen Brenneman)
Don’t think of me as gone away,
My journey’s just begun.
Life holds so many facets,
This earth is but one.
Just think of me as resting,
From the sorrows and the tears.
In a place of warmth and comfort,
Where there are no days and years.
Think of how I must be wishing,
That you could know today.
How nothing but your sadness,
Can really go away.
And think of me as living,
In the hearts of those I touched.
For nothing loved is ever lost,
And I know I was loved so much.
Poem by Ellen Brenneman
To Sleep (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.
Poem by John Keats
Remember (Christina Rossetti)
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.
Poem by Christina Rossetti
Religious Poems
Here are a few beautifully fitting poems for more religious services. To view the poem, simply click on the title below.
God’s Garden (Melissa Shreve)
God looked around his garden and found an empty place
He then looked down upon the Earth and saw your tired face
He put his arms around you and lifted you to rest
With the help of his angels they flew you to your heavenly place
Gods garden must be beautiful, he always takes the best
He knew you were suffering, he knew you were in pain
He knew that you would never get well on Earth again
He saw the road was getting rough and the hills too hard to climb
He closed your weary eyelids and whispered “Peace be Thine”
It broke our hearts to lose you but you didn’t go alone
For part of us went with you the day God called you home.
Poem by Melissa Shreve
In Pastures Green (H.H. Barry)
In pastures green? Not always; sometimes He
Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me
In weary ways, where heavy shadows be.
And by still waters? No, not always so;
Oftimes the heavy tempests round me blow,
And o’er my soul the waves and billows go.
But when the storms beat loudest, and I cry
Aloud for help, the Master standeth by,
And whispers to my soul, “Lo, it is I.”
So where He leads me I can safely go,
And in the blest hereafter I shall know
Why in His wisdom He hath led me so.
Poem by H.H. Barry
When Tomorrow Starts Without Me (David Romano)
When tomorrow starts without me and I am not here to see
If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me
I know how much you love me as much as I love you
And each time you think of me I know you’ll miss me too.
But when tomorrow starts without me please try to understand
That Jesus came and called my name and took me by the hand.
He said my place is ready in heaven far above
And that I have to leave behind all those I dearly love.
But as I turned to walk away a tear fell from my eye
For all my life I’d always thought it wasn’t my time to die.
I had so much to live for and so much yet to do
It seems almost impossible that I was leaving you.
I thought of all the yesterdays the good ones and the bad
I thought of all the love we shared and all the fun we had.
If I could have stayed for just a little while
I’d say goodbye and kiss you and maybe see you smile.
But then I fully realize that this could never be
For emptiness and memories would take the place of me.
And when I thought of worldly things that I’d miss come tomorrow
I thought of you and when I did my heart was filled with sorrow.
But when I walked through Heaven’s gate and felt so much at home
As God looked down and smiled at me from his great golden throne.
He said This is eternity And all I’ve promised you
Today your life on earth is past but here it starts anew.
I promise no tomorrow but today will always last
Why not write your own?
Although the above poems are all fitting and beautiful as a funeral tribute, why not consider writing your own poem? Take the time to think of all the most wonderful memories, characteristics, and traits about the deceased and incorporate them into a poem dedicated solely to them. This is a true personal form of tribute, as the words will come straight from the heart and will be dedicated to their being, a beautiful way to pay your respects. A poem written for the service, will also mean so much more to the family of the departed.
Start creating a Funeral Order of Service today
Creating a funeral order of service can feel overwhelming during such an emotional time, but you don’t have to do it alone. Our thoughtfully designed templates provide a gentle starting point, helping you honour your loved one’s memory with clarity and care. Whether you’re looking for something traditional or more personal, you’ll find designs that offer both guidance and flexibility – along with a friendly team here to support you every step of the way.
