come visit my grave poem

First Regiment of Dragoons

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"COME VISIT MY GRAVE"

1st squadron / first cavalry - first regiment of dragoons.

Le Mars, Iowa

Come Visit My Grave

By Jim Rolfes

I am a Veteran under the sod.

I’m in good company, I’m up here with God.

Come to my grave and visit me.

I gave my life so you could be free.

Today is Memorial Day throughout this great land.

There’s Avenues of Flags, Parades and Bands.

I can hear music, the firing squads and taps.

Here come my comrades, the Legionnaires, the Blue caps.

One of them just put a flag on my stone.

Some day he’ll have one of his own.

Some think of this day as just a day free of toil.

While others are busy working the soil.

They say they have plans, other things to do.

Don’t put us aside as you would an old shoe.

Come visit my grave in this cemetery so clean.

This is what Memorial Day means.

There are many of us lying in wakeless sleep.

In cemeteries of green and oceans of deep.

It’s sad that for many who fought so brave.

No one comes to visit their grave.

They died so you could have one whole year free.

Now can’t you save this one Day for me?

There are soldiers, sailors, airmen up here.

Who went into battle despite of their fear.

I’ve been talking up here to all of those men.

If they had to do it over, they’d do it again.

Look, someone is coming to visit my grave.

It’s my Family, for them my life I gave.

My wife, I remember our last embrace.

As I left the tears streamed down your face.

I think you knew the day I was shipped out.

I wouldn’t return, your life would be turned about.

There’s my daughter that I used to hold.

Can it be that you’re nearly twenty years old?

Next month is to be your wedding day.

I wish I could be there to give you away.

My son’s here too, Dad’s little man.

Always love your Country, do for it what you can.

There is one thing that really did bother.

Is seeing you grow up without the aid of your Father.

I wish you could all hear me from up above.

That’s a father’s best gift to his children is love.

And what better way to prove my love to the end.

Is that a man lay down his life for his friends.

I see it’s time for you to go home.

Your visit made it easier to remain here alone.

Don’t cry honey, you look too sad.

Our children are free, you should be so glad.

Daughter, thanks for the bouquet so cute.

Thank you son for that sharp salute.

Come again, I forgot, you can’t hear me from up here.

But I know you’ll come visit me again next year.

I hope all veterans are treated this way.

On this day to remember, Memorial Day.

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April 10, 2024

Come Visit My Grave

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Top 30 funeral poems.

When putting together a funeral program, it’s common to include funeral poems or other readings. This may be something you include as part of a eulogy or separately as its own reading.

Many people find that funeral poetry helps them express emotions that they have difficulty expressing on their own. When choosing poems for funerals, memorial services or celebrations of life, you don’t need to limit yourself to poems explicitly written about death or for funerals; any poem that speaks to you and feels appropriate is fine.

Here, we’ve pulled together a list of 15 funeral poems that others have used, in order to help inspire you. Even if you’re not planning a funeral or planning to speak at a funeral, these poems can also be a useful resource when mourning someone you’ve lost or can serve as condolence poems when writing a note of sympathy. We believe all of these popular funeral poems are in the public domain.

You may also want to consider creating a free memorial website, where you and others can share photos, stories, funeral details, an obituary and more, in addition to poems.

Create a free website

30. "She is Gone (He Is Gone)" (Remember Me)" by David Harkins

With its comforting message of love and remembrance, this poem offers solace to mourners, reminding them that the departed will always be cherished and remembered.

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

29. "Funeral Blues" by W.H. Auden

Known for its powerful emotions, this poem captures the depth of grief and loss, resonating with mourners who may find solace in its raw honesty and expression of sorrow.

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.

28. "If I Should Go" by Joyce Grenfell

This poem expresses the desire for loved ones to find comfort and peace in memories and the assurance that the departed will always be near, offering support and guidance.

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.

27. "Remember" by Christina Rossetti

Rossetti's poem offers a gentle reminder to cherish the memories of the departed and find solace in their enduring presence in our hearts and thoughts.

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

26. "The Dash" by Linda Ellis

This poem reflects on the significance of the dash between the dates of birth and death on a tombstone, encouraging listeners to ponder the meaning of a life lived and the impact left behind.

I read of a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend He referred to the dates on the tombstone from the beginning...to the end.

He noted that first came the date of birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

25. "There is No Light Without a Dawning" by Helen Steiner Rice

Helen Rice's poem looks to the next day as a source of comfort and relief after losing someone. Though the present time is difficult and hard, the deceased is seen as to be in a better, warmer, kinder place.

No winter without a spring And beyond the dark horizon Our hearts will once more sing …. For those who leave us for a while Have only gone away Out of a restless, care worn world Into a brighter day

24. "Away" by James Whitcomb Riley

While short, this poem by James Riley is a beautiful way to envision someone who has passed away. Though they are no longer with you presently, they are not gone.

Think of him faring on, as dear In the love of There as the love of Here. Think of him still as the same. I say, He is not dead—he is just away.

23. "To Sleep" by John Keats

John Keats's poem speaks to the desire for peaceful rest and release from the burdens of the past. The imagery of sleep and forgetfulness can provide solace and comfort to mourners, creating a sense of tranquility for the departed soul.

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.

22. "I’m There Inside Your Heart" by Unknown

This poem is a beautiful read for a funeral as it conveys a sense of eternal presence and comfort, assuring loved ones that the departed is still with them in spirit, sharing both joyful and challenging moments, and expressing a lasting connection that transcends physical separation.

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.

21. Let Me Go by Christina Georgina Rossetti

This poem by Christina Georgina Rossetti, with its comforting and reflective tone, makes a good choice for a funeral as it encourages acceptance of the natural journey of life and death, urging loved ones to remember the shared love and cherish memories while letting go of grief.

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.

20. “I Have a Rendezvous with Death” by Alan Seeger

Alan Seeger was an American poet who fought in World War I, where he died after being injured in No Man's Land. His poetry featured death prominently, and his poem "I Have a Rendezvous with Death" was one of John F. Kennedy's favorites.

Here is the funeral poem:

I have a rendezvous with Death At some disputed barricade, When Spring comes back with rustling shade And apple-blossoms fill the air— I have a rendezvous with Death When Spring brings back blue days and fair.

It may be he shall take my hand And lead me into his dark land And close my eyes and quench my breath— It may be I shall pass him still. I have a rendezvous with Death On some scarred slope of battered hill, When Spring comes round again this year And the first meadow-flowers appear.

God knows ’twere better to be deep Pillowed in silk and scented down, Where love throbs out in blissful sleep, Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to breath, Where hushed awakenings are dear... But I’ve a rendezvous with Death At midnight in some flaming town, When Spring trips north again this year, And I to my pledged word am true, I shall not fail that rendezvous.

19. "Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

Many poets depict death as a journey or adventure that one embarks on at the end of life. Alfred Tennyson writes about death here as though he's taking a ship out to sea, a popular metaphor. This is a great choice for those who are looking for funeral poems for a dad or brother given the themes expressed throughout.

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 home.

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

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place The flood may bear me far, I hope to see my Pilot face to face When I have cross’d the bar

18. “A Meeting” by Edith Wharton

Edith Wharton was an American writer, known for her works such as The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth. In her poem, "A Meeting", Edith depicts death as an adventure shared by two people, an experience that connects us with others. This type of poem is a positive way to say goodbye at a funeral when selecting your poems and is an excellent choice for those who are looking for short poems for funerals or memorial services.

On a sheer peak of joy we meet; Below us hums the abyss; Death either way allures our feet If we take one step amiss.

One moment let us drink the blue Transcendent air together— Then down where the same old work's to do In the same dull daily weather.

We may not wait . . . yet look below! How part? On this keen ridge But one may pass. They call you—go! My life shall be your bridge.

17. “ Under the Harvest Moon” by Carl Sandburg

This poem by Carl Sandburg details the different lives one can hold as represented by seasons. It pictures death as an old friend, rather than something to be feared, which might be of some comfort to those in mourning. This is another example of uplifting goodbye funeral poems (especially for a mom from a daughter or other child that wishes to say goodbye to their parent).

Under the harvest moon, When the soft silver Drips shimmering Over the garden nights, Death, the gray mocker, Comes and whispers to you As a beautiful friend Who remembers.

Under the summer roses When the flagrant crimson Lurks in the dusk Of the wild red leaves, Love, with little hands, Comes and touches you With a thousand memories, And asks you Beautiful, unanswerable questions.

16. “Inarticulate Grief” by Richard Aldington

Richard Aldington was born in 1892 in Portsmouth, United Kingdom. He became known for his poetry, specifically his World War I poetry and was friends with poets such as T. S. Eliot, D. H. Lawrence, W. B. Yeats, and Ezra Pound. "Inarticulate Grief" is an excellent choice when looking for poems for a funeral and is about the importance of letting grief be experienced, however unrestrained it may be.

Let the sea beat its thin torn hands In anguish against the shore, Let it moan Between headland and cliff; Let the sea shriek out its agony Across waste sands and marshes, And clutch great ships, Tearing them plate from steel plate In reckless anger; Let it break the white bulwarks Of harbour and city; Let it sob and scream and laugh In a sharp fury, With white salt tears Wet on its writhen face; Ah! let the sea still be mad And crash in madness among the shaking rocks— For the sea is the cry of our sorrow.

15. “Alive” by Winifred Mary Letts

Born in England in 1882, Winifred Letts started her writing career as a playwright and then novelist. She published her first poetry collection in 1913 at the age of 31. She also trained as a masseuse and and worked in army camps in Manchester during World War I, inspiring some of her poetry.

“Alive” is commonly chosen for funerals because of its emphasis on appreciating life as a way to honor the dead (and then appreciating death as a way to rejoin them). This poem is an excellent choice for those looking for funeral poems for a friend or for those who are looking for poems that they'd like to include on funeral programs.

Because you live, though out of sight and reach, I will, so help me God, live bravely too, Taking the road with laughter and gay speech, Alert, intent to give life all its due. I will delight my soul with many things, The humours of the street and books and plays, Great rocks and waves winnowed by seagulls’ wings, Star-jewelled Winter nights, gold harvest days.

I will for your sake praise what I have missed, The sweet content of long-united lives, The sunrise joy of lovers who have kissed, Children with flower-faces, happy wives. And last I will praise Death who gives anew Brave life adventurous and love—and you.

14. “Dead” by Winifred Mary Letts

In contrast to her poem, “Alive,” which written in the same year, “Dead” focuses on the shock of losing someone, making it a popular choice for those who need poems to read at a funeral.

In misty cerements they wrapped the word My heart had feared so long: dead... dead... I heard But marvelled they could think the thing was true Because death cannot be for such as you. So while they spoke kind words to suit my need Of foolish idle things my heart took heed, Your racquet and worn-out tennis shoe, Your pipe upon the mantel,—then a bird Upon the wind-tossed larch began to sing And I remembered how one day in Spring You found the wren’s nest in the wall and said “Hush!... listen! I can hear them quarrelling...” The tennis court is marked, the wrens are fled, But you are dead, beloved, you are dead

13. “Warm Summer Sun” by Mark Twain

Written by Mark Twain in 1896, “Warm Summer Sun” tends to be specifically chosen for a graveside funeral service, as it conveys a sentiment of wishing the best for the gravesite of the deceased and ends with a goodbye.

Warm summer sun, Shine kindly here, Warm southern wind, Blow softly here. Green sod above, Lie light, lie light. Good night, dear heart, Good night, good night.

12. “When I am dead, my dearest” by Christina Rossetti

Written by Victorian poet, Christina Rossetti, as just a teenager, “When I am dead, my dearest” (also known as “Song”) tells the reader that it doesn’t matter if she remembered or forgotten after her death, because she will not know. The poem has an agnostic bend, making it more common at non-religious funerals. If you're looking for poems to say goodbye at a funeral, this is an excellent choice.

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.

11. “Remember” by Christina Rossetti

A year after writing “When I Am Dead My Dearest,” Christina Rossetti penned “Remember.” While the title and first line of may seem contradictory to the message of “When I Am Dead My Dearest, the final message aligns the two. The last two lines of the poem, “Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad,” are commonly quoted.

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.

10. “O Captain! My Captain!” by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman wrote “O Captain! My Captain!” following Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. The poem uses a metaphor to describe Lincoln leading the U.S. through the Civil War, only to die just as the country begins to celebrate. Unfortunately, many people can relate to the feeling of mourning that comes after losing someone just as things are starting to get better.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done, The ship has weather’d every rack, the prize we sought is won, The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting, While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring; But O heart! heart! heart! O the bleeding drops of red, Where on the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead. O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells; Rise up- for you the flag is flung- for you the bugle trills,

For you bouquets and ribbon’d wreaths- for you the shores a-crowding, For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning; Here Captain! dear father! This arm beneath your head! It is some dream that on the deck, You’ve fallen cold and dead.

My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still, My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will, The ship is anchor’d safe and sound, its voyage closed and done, From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won; Exult O shores, and ring O bells! But I with mournful tread, Walk the deck my Captain lies, Fallen cold and dead.

9. “To Those Whom I Love & Those Who Love Me” by Anonymous

Many people find the poem, “To Those Whom I Love & Those Who Love Me” comforting at funerals. It combines messages relating to the acceptance of death with the notions that the person is never really gone and that you will see them again. And while it encourages the reader to not be sad, it also acknowledges that it’s okay to grieve.

Here’s the funeral poem:

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'.

8. “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Frye

Originally written in 1932 on a brown paper shopping bag, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” has long been a famous funeral poem, but Mary Frye didn’t reveal herself as the author until 1990s. (She had previously made copies of the poem and circulated them privately.) This would make a great choice for those who need funeral poems for moms, grandmas, sisters, or other relationships who wouldn't want their loved ones to spend precious time weeping at their grave.

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!)

7. “Remember Me - I Will Live Forever” by Robert N. Test

“Remember Me - I Will Live Forever” is a popular song at a memorial service or celebration of life for some who was an organ donor or a whole body donor . It focuses on how the person can continue to live on through others.

The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in a hospital; busily occupied with the living and the dying. At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don't call this my deathbed. Let it be called the bed of life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to the man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby's face or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has caused nothing but endless days of pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to the one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.

Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Explore every corner of my brain.

Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that, someday a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her window.

Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weakness and all prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil.

Give my soul to God.

If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you. If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

6. “Walking with Grief” by Anonymous (A Celtic Prayer)

While “Walking with Grief” is a Celtic prayer, its message resonates with a much broader audience, making it a popular funeral reading. It speaks to the community of grieving people, reminding them that grief isn’t something that should be rushed through or pushed aside.

Do not hurry As you walk with grief; It does not help the journey

Walk slowly, Pausing often: Do not hurry As you walk with grief

Be not disturbed By memories that come unbidden. Swiftly forgive; And let Christ speak for you Unspoken words. Unfinished conversation Will be resolved in Him. Be not disturbed.

Be gentle with the one Who walks with grief. If it is you, be gentle with yourself. Swiftly forgive; Walk slowly, Pausing often.

Take time, be gentle As you walk with grief.

5. “I Am Standing Upon the Seashore” by Henry Van Dyke

In “I Am Standing Upon the Seashore,” Henry Van Dyke uses the metaphor of a ship moving beyond the horizon as a metaphor for death. He explains that the ship disappearing behind the horizon doesn’t mean that the ship is gone; it’s only gone from the perspective of the person on the shore watching it. To someone on the other side, the ship is appearing for the first time.

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.

4. “Those We Love” by Anonymous

This short poem is both impactful and easy to quote in a eulogy, funeral program or condolence note.

Those we love don't go away; They walk beside us every day.

Unseen, unheard but always near. Sill loved, still missed, and very dear.

Wishing us hope in the midst of sorrow, Offering comfort in the midst of pain, both today and tomorrow.

3. Psalm 23

Psalm 23, also known as “The Lord is my Shepherd” comes from the Book of Psalms and is one of the most common Christian funeral poems. It emphasizes the point that the Lord guides us into death and gives us the opportunity to spend eternity in the house of the Lord. This poem is also a good choice for those who need sudden death funeral poems since it is a message of peace and comfort and releasing a body into the arms of the Lord, even when that death is unexpected.

Here is the psalm:

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.

2. “All is Well” by Henry Scott Holland

Many people find “All is Well” to be a comforting funeral poem, as the message focuses on how love and relationships continue to live on after death, just as they do when two people are physically separated.

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 it 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.

1. “Remember Me” by Margaret Mead

While Margaret Mead was known more for her work in cultural anthropology than for her poetry, “Remember Me has become a common funeral poem, as it provides a notion of togetherness, even after someone has passed. For those who have lost a mother, grandmother, or other loved one (and are in search of positive and happy funeral poems) this would make an excellent to addition to your collection. When honoring a grandmother (or other maternal figure), the poems you select for the funeral can reflect their desires to continue supporting their loved ones and to foster a feeling of connection though they're no longer physically present.

To the living, I am gone, To the sorrowful, I will never return, To the angry, I was cheated, But to the happy, I am at peace, And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen. I cannot be seen, but I can be heard. So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea, As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity, Remember me.

Remember me in your heart: Your thoughts, and your memories, Of the times we loved, The times we cried, The times we fought, The times we laughed. For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

Inspired by these poems? Consider making a free memorial website for someone:

Create a memorial website

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10 of the Best Poems about Graveyards

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Death looms large in poetry, from epitaphs to poems of grief over the loss of a loved one . And, of course, there’s a long-standing tradition of religious or sacred poems . But what about churchyards, graveyards, and cemeteries – those spaces around the church filled with the dead, with epitaphs by turns moving and cringeworthy, with yew trees and with flowers brought in memory of the deceased?

Below we attempt to introduce ten of the very greatest poems about churchyards.

1. Thomas Gray, ‘ Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard ’.

The curfew tolls the knell of parting day, The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea, The plowman homeward plods his weary way, And leaves the world to darkness and to me.

Now fades the glimm’ring landscape on the sight, And all the air a solemn stillness holds, Save where the beetle wheels his droning flight, And drowsy tinklings lull the distant folds …

Of course, this classic eighteenth-century poem had to feature in our list of the best churchyard poems! The ‘country churchyard’ referred to in the poem’s title belonged to St Giles’ parish church at Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire.

‘Gray’s Elegy’ (as it’s often known) was partly inspired by the death of another poet, Richard West, in 1742, but became a grand meditation on death and the simple memorials left behind by rustic village folk rather than statesmen and celebrated figures. The poem also gave Thomas Hardy the phrase ‘far from the madding crowd’ for use as the title of his fourth published novel.

2. Charlotte Smith, ‘ Written in the Churchyard at Middleton in Sussex ’.

Pressed by the Moon, mute arbitress of tides, While the loud equinox its power combines, The sea no more its swelling surge confines, But o’er the shrinking land sublimely rides …

Smith (1749-1806) offers a sonnet about a seaside graveyard that is battered by the stormy elements, in an early version of what the Romantics (successors to the Graveyard School) would call, following Edmund Burke, ‘ the Sublime ’: ‘The wild blast, rising from the western cave, / Drives the huge billows from their heaving bed; / Tears from their grassy tombs the village dead, / And breaks the silent sabbath of the grave!’

The poem reflects the wild, turbulent nature of the sea, which – under pressure from the moon, whose gravitational force causes the tides – breaks free from its confines to flood the seaside churchyard. Accompanying the powerful waves of the sea, the wind’s force is so great that it succeeds in disturbing the dead bodies in the churchyard which lie buried there.

3. Alfred, Lord Tennyson, ‘ Old Yew, Which Graspeth at the Stones ’.

Old Yew, which graspest at the stones That name the under-lying dead, Thy fibres net the dreamless head, Thy roots are wrapt about the bones …

This churchyard poem is actually one canto from a much longer poem, a book-length elegy which Tennyson wrote about the death of his friend, Arthur Henry Hallam. That long poem, In Memoriam , was published in 1850. In this canto, Tennyson visits the graveyard where Hallam has been interred and addresses the yew tree that stands there – and has stood there, enduring the seasons, for a thousand years.

4. Matthew Arnold, ‘ Haworth Churchyard ’.

I beheld; the obscure Saw the famous. Alas! Years in number, it seem’d Lay before both, and a fame Heighten’d, and multiplied power. Behold! The elder, to-day, Lies expecting from Death, In mortal weakness, a last Summons: the younger is dead …

Published in 1855, the year that the last Brontë sister, Charlotte, died, this poem contains a slight error (the graves of the Brontë sisters are inside the local church, not out in the churchyard), but given Arnold’s placing of them outside, we’d say this fine tribute to the Brontë family (as well as a friend of Charlotte Brontë’s, the novelist and campaigner Harriet Martineau) more than earns its place on this list.

5. Thomas Hardy, ‘ In the Cemetery ’.

‘You see those mothers squabbling there?’ Remarks the man of the cemetery. ‘One says in tears, “’Tis mine lies here!” Another, “Nay, mine, you Pharisee!” Another, “How dare you move my flowers And put your own on this grave of ours!” But all their children were laid therein At different times, like sprats in a tin …’

Hardy was a prolific poet, with a notoriously pessimistic outlook; so it’s probably of little surprise to find him haunting this list of great graveyard poems. A variation on the sonnet form – one of only a few ‘sonnets’ Hardy wrote in his vast oeuvre – this poem sees bereft mothers squabbling over whose son is buried where, unaware that the bodies of the deceased have been moved to make way for … a new drain.

6. Robert Frost, ‘ In a Disused Graveyard ’.

A beautiful short poem about the living visiting the graveyard to pay their respects to the dead.

Using the traditional quatrain form with rhyming couplets, Frost wonders what the tombstones themselves would think of the fact that no new dead are ever interred in the disused graveyard, giving the impression that the living have become immortal. (Needless to say, this poor paraphrase doesn’t come close to doing justice to Frost’s poem.)

7. Andrew Young, ‘ Passing the Graveyard ’.

Young (1885-1971) was a Scottish poet. In ‘Passing the Graveyard’, from Young’s 1939 collection Speak to the Earth , he draws on scientific understanding of the body: that all of our cells are replaced roughly every seven years, meaning we wear a new ‘dress’ from the one we wore a few years ago.

Addressing the dead, Young reflects that dying should therefore be viewed as little more than undressing and going to bed. A beautiful poem which makes superb use of the triplet stanza form.

8. Richard Wilbur, ‘ In a Churchyard ’.

A direct response to the classic poem which headed this list of the best poems about graves, Gray’s ‘Elegy’, and thus the ideal poem to read in conjunction with Gray’s great poem of over two centuries before.

9. Sylvia Plath, ‘ The Moon and the Yew Tree ’.

Written in October 1961 as she was beginning to find her own distinctive poetic voice, ‘The Moon and the Yew Tree’ is one of the most widely discussed and analysed of Sylvia Plath’s poems. Plath’s husband, Ted Hughes, suggested that she write a poem about the view outside their bedroom window.

Hughes later recalled that, from the window of their house in Devon, they could see a yew tree in the churchyard to the west of their house. On the morning in question, the full moon was visible just behind the yew tree, and Hughes gave Plath the idea of writing about the scene .

10. Tony Harrison, V .

This long poem was written in 1985 during the Miners’ Strike in Britain, and was written by one of the finest poets to write about class in the last hundred years.

The starting-point is Harrison’s own attempts to clean up his parents’ gravestones which have been defaced by football hooligans and far-right thugs; the poem ends up being perhaps the definitive statement of 1980s Britain, taking in Margaret Thatcher, class, race, immigration, and left-right clashes in politics. It also contains some very strong language – you have been warned!

If you enjoyed this selection of the best poems about graves, you might also like these classic poetic statements about death and these fine church poems .

4 thoughts on “10 of the Best Poems about Graveyards”

In Italy the English graveyard school of poetry greatly influenced one of our greatest 19th century poet, Ugo Foscolo, who wrote the long poem I sepolcri (The graves) which quotes Gray directly.

A fine set again, including (as you so often do!) I few I didn’t know. Coincidently, I’ve just finished reading The Spoon River Anthology which is an entire volume of graveyard poems once fairly popular in the U.S, It’s based in part on Latin epigraphs (in a balance of satire and transformation). One thing that surprised me, and caused me to read this work in it’s entirety was how early it came in the Modernist movement. Somehow I’d informally (and erroneously) placed it in the 20s–when, in fact, selections were first published (in Reedy’s Mirror) before WWI and the book appeared in 1915, so Masters was writing about the time “Prufrock” was being written by Eliot, and Spoon River the book was published ahead of “Prufrock” in Monroe’s Poetry by a couple of months.

Another error in my informal idea of the book was due to the un-representative selections most often anthologized, which lead me to think of it as a nostalgic and genteel. Taken as a whole, it’s not that at all! The use of rape and a variety of terrible marriages made me think of “The Waste Land” still to come. About 3/4 of the way through Philomela and Tereus make an appearance in Spoon River and I even began to wonder if about possible influence on Eliot from Masters’ Spoon River in “The Waste Land.”

Thanks for the excellent list. I’d recommend :

Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep – Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye

Worthy of inclusion !

One that nearly made the top 10 and a worthy addition – thanks!

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Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

Famous bereavement poem written by Mary Elizabeth Frye in the 1930s. It says that the people you love are all around you.

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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Come to my Grave

By eliza acton.

Come to my grave when I am gone, And bend a moment there alone; It will not cost thee much of pain To trample on my heart again- Or, if it would, for ever stay Far distant from my mouldering clay: I would not wound thy breast to prove E'en its most deep, "remorse of love." The grave should be a shrine of peace Where all unkindly feelings cease;- Though thou wilt calmly gaze on mine I would not live the hour to see, Which doom'd my glance to rest on thine :- That moment's bitter agony Would bid the very life-blood start Back, and congeal around my heart!-

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I came to visit you today To place this flag next to your grave. The sacrifices you have made Will forever be indebted this day. I came to visit you today To place this flag next to your grave. It doesn't matter if you fought or not 'Cause with that uniform it doesn't matter what. I came to visit you today To place this flag next to your grave. The memory of what once was you Still lingers true for those who knew. I came to visit you today To place this flag next to your grave To just say thank you on this Memorial Day.

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Visit My Grave

by Goran Rahim   Feb 17, 2012 category : Love, romance / lost love

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