Inspirational & Comforting Poems About Death 

Comforting Poems About Death:
I Am Standing At The Sea Shore

Luther F. Beecher 1813-1903
Reverend & cousin of Henry Ward Beecher

I am standing on the sea shore. A ship sails and spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.

She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her till at last she fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, “She is gone.” Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.

She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination. The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “She is gone,” there are others who are watching her coming and other voices take up a glad shout, “There she comes,” and that is dying.

Comforting Poems About Death:
If I Should Never See The Moon Again 

Major Malcolm Boyd ?-1944

If I should never see the moon again
Rising red gold across the harvest field,
Or feel the stinging of soft April rain
As the brown earth her hidden treasures yield.

If I should never hear the thrushes wake
Long before the sunrise in the glittering dawn,
Or watch the huge Atlantic rollers break
Against the rugged cliffs in baffling scorn.

If I have said goodbye to stream and wood
To the wide ocean and green clad hill,
I know that He who made this world good
Has somewhere made a Heaven better still.

This I bear witness with my last breath
Knowing the love of God
I fear not death.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Where There Is Love

Rosemary Brown 1916-2001
English medium, composer, pianist & author

Sometimes it is very hard to let go of those people we love. Just as it is hard sometimes for parents to let their children go off into the world, to live their own lives. It is hard sometimes for the bereaved to let their loved ones journey into the Light, into a new life of which we on Earth know so little.

But perhaps it is only through being parted from our loved ones that we come to appreciate them fully.

Perhaps it was only through being parted from God that we could truly appreciate Him. Perhaps that was what being cast out of the Garden of Eden was all about.

Only through being deprived for a time can we really treasure what we once had.

Where there is love there is a link – bridging of space, of time and circumstances. Where there is love, an eventual reunion is completely certain.

Love is the strongest force there is. St Paul was right about that – and if we let love rule all of our relationships it will bring us ultimately into harmony, and wholeness, and Oneness with the supreme source of love which is God.

Comforting Poems About Death:
The Traveler

James Dillet Freeman 1912-2003
American poet & minister of Unity Church

He/She has put on invisibility.
Dear Lord, I cannot see -
But this I know, although the road ascends
And passes from my sight,
That there will be no night;
That You will take him/her gently by the hand
And lead him/her on
Along the road of life that never ends,
And he/she will find it is not death but dawn.
I do not doubt that You are there as here,
And You will hold him/her dear.

Our life did not begin with birth,
It is not of the Earth;
And this that we call death, it is no more
Than the opening and closing of a door -
And in Your house how many rooms must be
Beyond this one where we rest momently.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the faith that frees,
The love that knows it cannot lose its own;
The love that, looking through the shadows, sees
That You and he/she and I are ever one!

Comforting Poems About Death:
Near Shady Wall A Rose Once Grew

Almira L. Frink 1870-1903

Near shady wall a rose once grew
Budded and blossomed in God’s free light,
Watered and fed by morning due
Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fair and tall
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear of pride,
It followed the light through the crevices length
And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new
Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint or fail,
Nay, let us faith and hope receive,
The rose still grows beyond the wall.

Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in the days of yore
Just as it did on the other side
Just as it will forever more.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Do Not Stand At My Grave & Weep

Mary Frye 1905-2004
American poet

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 autumns rain.

When you awaken in the mornings 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 a my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

Comforting Poems About Death:
We Told Our Stories

Edwina Gateley 1943
English author, speaker & social activist

We told our stories - that’s all
We sat and listened to each other
And heard the journeys of each soul.

We sat in silence
Entering each ones pain and sharing each ones joy.

We heard love’s longing
And the lonelys reaching out for love and affirmation.
We heard of dreams shattered and visions fled.
Of hopes and laughter turned stale and dark.
We felt the pain of isolation
And the bitterness of death.

But in each brave and lonely story
God’s gentle life broke through
And we heard music in the darkness
And smelt flowers in the void.

We felt the budding of creation
In the searching of each soul
And discerned the beauty
Of God’s hand in each muddy, twisted path.

And his voice sang in each story
His life sprang from each death
Our sharing became one story
Of a simple lonely search
For life and hope and oneness.
In a world which sobs for love.

And we knew that in our sharing
God’s voice with mighty breath
Was saying love each other
Take each other’s hand.
For you are one, though many
And in each of you I live.

So listen to my story
And share my pain
And death.
Oh, listen to my story
And rise and live
With me

Comforting Poems About Death:
For What Is It To Die?

Kahlil Gibran 1883-1931
Lebanese-American writer & poet

For what is it to die?
But to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun. and what is it to cease breathing? But to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God, unencumbered.

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing. And when you have reached the mountain top then you shall begin to climb. And the Earth shall claim your limbs. Then shall you truly dance.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Remember Me With Smiles Not Tears

Genie Graveline
Poet

Remember me with smiles not tears,
For all the joy through all the years.
Recall the closeness that was ours
A love as ‘sweet’ as fragrant flowers.

Don’t dwell on thoughts that cause you pain
We’ll see each other once again,
I am at peace… try to believe
It was my time… I had to leave.

But ‘what a view’ I have from here
I see your face, I feel you near,
I follow you throughout the day
You’re not alone along the way.

And when God calls you… you will be
Right by my side… right here with me,
Till then, I’ll wait by Heaven’s door
We’ll be united… evermore!

Comforting Poems About Death:
Backpacking In Paradise

Trina Graves  1961
English spiritual poet

They have gone alone on a journey
To the most exotic faraway land
They’ll see crystal clear, vast seas
As they walk along soft golden sand

They can explore dense areas of forest
Abundant with magnificent plants and trees
Or stroll through a quaint picturesque village
Basking in the sights and the pleasant breeze

They might be feeling adventurous
And go climbing to majestic mountain tops
The view will be spectacularly awesome
Surrounded by the beauty that never stops

They might just want to sit and chat
Catching-up with a friend they have missed
Or, once again feel the loving embrace
Of a beloved, and be joyfully kissed

With no limits of health to stop them
And absolutely no chance of difficulty
They can do anything they desire or wish
Being their true selves and ultimately free

They took all they needed with them
Backpacking, they didn’t need much
Off-the-grid, but I don’t need to worry
As it seems, they may not keep in touch

I will lovingly think of them often, but continue
With my own life, knowing each and every day
They are experiencing an awesome adventure
Now young at heart, they can relax and play

One day I will put on my backpack
Filled with all my experiences and love
And I too will take the final journey
We will be re-united in Paradise above

11th June 2018

Comforting Poems About Death:
The Tree That Spoke

Trina Graves  1961
English spiritual poet

Oh, the things I have felt
For over a hundred years
From bountiful joys of nature
To the sorrow of human tears

When I was first planted here
There wasn’t much else around
A field of grass, some trees like me
A few upright stones on the ground

As I grew tall and strong
Yielding as each season passed
The people came and went
Always mournful and downcast

My wisdom grew with time
As my roots delved into the Earth
I also connected to the sun above
All-That-Is pronounced my worth

The ever-flowing abundant life
Birds, foliage, butterflies, bees
Most people never-ever noticed
Oh, please! BEHOLD us trees

We are the inherent Guardians of Earth
Filtering and providing more than they see
The original network, our roots underground
We may seem static, but we are truly free

The empty field that once surrounded my youth
Is now filled with hundreds of stones
Becoming more ornate over the years
But still, just mark the position of bones

I absorb the waves of sadness that flow
From the people visiting a stone
If they let me, I can help them
For we are One and never alone

I sense the Spirit of their Loved one
They block the energy by thinking them gone
My leaves whisper the truth on the breeze
‘They are beside you, they do live on’

6th July 2018

Comforting Poems About Death:
I Have No Fear Of Death

Oliver Hall

I have no fear of death, but I shall welcome a helping hand to see me through. For it is said that just as everyone has a Guardian Angel, so to each one comes somebody to help us over the stile.

Once I am over, I know a door will open on a new loveliness and freshness of colour, form and light which is far more beautiful than anything I have ever seen or imagined.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Do Not Shed Tears When I Have Gone

David Harkins 1958

Do not shed tears when I have gone, but smile instead because I have lived. Do not shut your eyes and pray to God that I’ll come back, but open your eyes and see all that I have left behind. I know your heart will be empty because you cannot see me, but still I want you to be full of the love we shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live only for yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of what happened between us yesterday. You can remember me and grieve that I have gone, or you can cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and lose yourself, become distraught and turn your back on the world, or you can do what I want… smile, wipe away the tears, learn to love again and go on.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Death Is Nothing At All

Henry Scott Holland 1847-1918
English theologian & canon

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 enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word it always was
Let it be spoken without 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 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.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Go On With What You Are Doing

Thomas Kempis 1379-1471
German-Dutch Catholic canon & author

Go on with what you are doing. Work faithfully in my vineyard, and I shall be your reward. Write, read and sing; lament your sins, keep silence, pray; bravely endure all that you find hard to bear - eternal life is worth all these and greater struggles too.

Peace will come to you on a day which is already known to the Lord, and for them there will be no day or night such as you know on this Earth, but perpetual light, splendour without end, peace that cannot be broken, calm that holds no fear.

You will not then say, “Who is to set me free from a nature thus doomed to death?” nor will you cry, “Unhappy I, that live in exhile,” for death shall be engulfed, and salvation be complete..

Then there will be no fear, but blessed joy and sweet companionship, full of pure delight.

Comforting Poems About Death:
A Silent Tear

Gaynor Llewellyn
Author

Just close your eyes and you will see
All the memories that you have of me
Just sit and relax and you will find
I’m really still there inside your mind

Don’t cry for me now I’m gone
For I am in the land of song
There is no pain, there is no fear
So dry away that silent tear

Don’t think of me in the dark and cold
For here I am, no longer old
I’m in that place that’s filled with love
Known to you all, as ‘Up Above.’

Comforting Poems About Death:
For Death Is But A Passing Phase Of Life

Edwin Leibfreed
Poet

For death is but a passing phase of life;
A change of dress, a disrobing
A birth into the unborn again
A commencing where we ended
A starting where we stopped to rest
A crossroad of eternity
A giving up of something to posses all things
The end of the unreal
The beginning of the real

Comforting Poems About Death:
When Life's Summer Grows To Winter

Edwin Leibfreed
Poet

When life’s summer grows to winter
And it’s roses fade and fall.
When in vain we try to hinder
Death’s commissioned right to all.

When on white lips there’s a last kiss
And we see her face no more.
Then it is to know what love is
Waiting on a foreign shore.

Comforting Poems About Death:
When I Die
I Want Your Hands On My Eyes

Pablo Neruda 1904-1973
Chilean poet-diplomat & politician

When I die, I want your hands on my eyes
I want the light and wheat of your beloved hand
To pass their freshness over me once more
I want to feel the softness that changed my destiny.

I want you to live while I wait for you, asleep
I want your ears still to hear the wind
I want you to sniff the sea’s aroma that we loved together
To continue to walk on the sand we walked.

I want what I love to continue to live
And you whom I love and sang above everything else
To continue to flourish, full-flowered...

So that you can reach everything my love directs you to.
So that my shadow can travel along in your hair.
So that everything can learn the reason for my song.

Comforting Poems About Death:
When I Am Gone, Release Me
Let Me Go

Mary Alice Ramish

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 think you for the love each have 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 can not 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

Then, when you must come this way alone
I will greet you with a smile and a
"Welcome Home"

Comforting Poems About Death:
Gateway To Eternal Life

Helen Steiner Rice 1900-1981
American Christian & inspirational poet

Death is just another step
Along life’s changing way
No more that just a gateway
To a new and better day

And parting from our loved ones
Is much easier to bear
When we know they are waiting
For us to join them there

For it is on the wings of death
That the living Soul takes flight
Into the promised land of God
Where there shall be no night

So death is just a natural thing
Like the closing of a door
As we start upon a journey
To a new and distant shore

And none need make this journey
Undirected or alone
For God promised us safe passage
To this vast and great unknown

So let your grief be softened
And yield not to despair
You have only placed your loved one
In the loving Father’s care

Comforting Poems About Death:
I Feel Your Pain

Christine Rigden
Author & poet

I feel your pain and long to touch the hurt and make it melt away. Yes, I know that I can’t really see the breadth and depth of this dark valley you’re in. I can’t truly know just how sharp the knife is in your Soul, for it is you in it’s path, not me.

But I have known other valleys and in my heart still bear knife wound scars. Even so, I would walk your road and take your pain if I could. I cannot, and yet, perhaps in some way, I can be a hand to hold in the darkness. In some way, try to blunt the sharpness of pain. But if not, it may help a little, just to know I care.

Comforting Poems About Death:
When I Come To The End Of The Road

Christina Rossetti 1830-1894
English poet

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 go.

Comforting Poems About Death:
Should You Go First

Albert Kennedy Rowswell 1884-1955
American sports radio broadcaster & poet

Should you go first and I remain
To walk the road alone
I’ll life in memory’s garden, dear
With happy days we’ve known

In Spring I’ll wait for roses red
When fades the lilacs blue
In early fall, when brown leaves call
I’ll catch a glimpse of you

Should you go first, and I remain
For battles to be fought
Each thing you’ve touched along the way
Will be a hallowed spot

I’ll hear your voice, I’ll see your smile
Though blindly I may grope
The memory of your helping hand
Will buoy me on with hope

Should you go first and I remain
To finish with the scroll
No length’ning shadows ahall creep in
To make this life seem droll

We’ve known so much of happiness
We’ve had our cup of joy
And memory is one gift of God
That death cannot destroy

Should you go first and I remain
One thing I’d have you do
Walk slowly down that long, lone path
For soon I’ll follow you

I’ll want to know each step you take
That I may walk the same
For some day down that lonely road
You’ll hear me call your name

Comforting Poems About Death:
There Is A State Unknown, Unseen

Jane Taylor 1783-1824
English poet & novelist

There is a state unknown, unseen
Where parted Souls must be
And but a step may be between
That world of Souls and me

The friend I loves has thither fled
With whom I sojourned here
I see no sight - I hear no tread
But may she not be near?

Jesus was rapt from mortal gaze
And clouds conveyed him hence
Enthroned amid the sapphire blaze
Beyond our feeble sense

Yet say not - who shall mount on high
To bring him from above?
For lo! The Lord is always nigh
The children of his love

The Saviour whom I long have sought
And would, but cannot see
And is he here? O wondrous thought!
And will he dwell with me?

I ask not with my mortal eye
To view the vision bright
I dare not see Thee, lest I die
Yet Lord, restore my sight!

Give me to Thee, and to feel
The mental vision clear
The things unseen reveal, reveal!
And let me know them near

I seek not fancy’s glittering height
That charmed my ardent youth
But in thy light would see the light
And learn thy perfect truth

The gathering clouds of sense dispel
That wraps my Soul around
In heavenly places make me dwell
While treading earthly ground

Illume this shadowy Soul of mine
That still in darkness lies
O let the light in darkness shine
And bid the day-star rise!

Impart the faith that soars on high
Beyond this earthly strife
That holds sweet converse with the sky
And lives Eternal Life!

Death Poems:  Unknown Sources

Death Poems:  Trina Graves

Death Quotes

Death Sayings

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