Funeral Poems: Short, Uplifting and Religious Poems to Read at a Service

A poem can say what you can't quite say yourself, and it gives you something steady to hold when you stand up to speak. Below are funeral poems you can read at a service, print in a program, or quote in an obituary. Every one is in the public domain in the U.S., so you are free to use it.

Key points

Pick a poem that sounds like your person, not the one you think you "should" read.
Short funeral poems (under a minute) are easiest to read when your voice may shake.
Practice out loud at least three times, and print it in large type.
In a program, print the poem exactly as written and credit the poet.
Looking for more classic poems about death, such as "Crossing the Bar" and "Remember"? They are on Poems About Death and Dying.

Reading a poem as part of a eulogy? If you'd rather work on paper, the eulogy workbook guides you one page at a time.

How to choose a funeral poem

Start with the person, not the poem. Did they love the sea, their garden, their church, a good joke? Look for a poem with the same feeling.

Think about who will be listening. A poem of strong faith may comfort a church family. A softer, nature-centered poem may suit a mixed crowd.

Read a few out loud before you decide. If you trip over a line twice, choose another.

Mind the length. Poetry is read a little slower than ordinary speech, so a poem of about 100 words takes about a minute. The times below are rough guides.

It's fine to read only a part of a longer poem. Just say so ("a few lines from...") and credit the poet.

Short funeral poems

The bustle in a house

The morning after death

Is solemnest of industries

Enacted upon earth, —

The sweeping up the heart,

And putting love away

We shall not want to use again

Until eternity.

Emily Dickinson, Poems (1890)

When it fits: for the family who has been caring, cooking and clearing up, and knows exactly this feeling. Reading time: about 20 seconds.

Katrina's Sun-Dial

Hours fly,

Flowers die:

New days,

New ways:

Pass by!

Love stays.

Time is

Too Slow for those who Wait,

Too Swift for those who Fear,

Too Long for those who Grieve,

Too Short for those who Rejoice;

But for those who Love,

Time is not.

Henry van Dyke, Music and Other Poems (1904)

When it fits: almost any service, and lovely printed on a memorial card. The second half is often read alone. Reading time: about 20 seconds.

Song ("When I am dead, my dearest")

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.

Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862)

When it fits: for someone who didn't want a fuss, or who asked you not to be sad. Reading time: about 45 seconds.

From In Memoriam A. H. H. (section 27)

I hold it true, whate'er befall;

I feel it, when I sorrow most;

'Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1850)

When it fits: a husband, wife or partner, or anyone you loved deeply. Reading time: about 15 seconds.

From "For the Fallen"

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

Laurence Binyon, first printed in The Times (London), September 21, 1914

When it fits: a veteran or service member's funeral. Reading time: about 20 seconds.

Uplifting funeral poems

Hope

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul,

And sings the tune without the words,

And never stops at all,

And sweetest in the gale is heard;

And sore must be the storm

That could abash the little bird

That kept so many warm.

I've heard it in the chillest land,

And on the strangest sea;

Yet, never, in extremity,

It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson, Poems, Second Series (1891)

When it fits: someone who kept everyone's spirits up, or a bird lover. Reading time: about 40 seconds.

From *The Prophet*****, "On Death"

You would know the secret of death.

But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?

...

If you would indeed behold the spirit of death, open your heart wide unto the body of life.

For life and death are one, even as the river and the sea are one.

Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (1923)

When it fits: a quiet, spiritual service that isn't tied to one faith. Reading time: about 30 seconds.

From Gitanjali (poem 93)

I have got my leave. Bid me farewell, my brothers! I bow to you all and take my departure.

Here I give back the keys of my door—and I give up all claims to my house. I only ask for last kind words from you.

We were neighbours for long, but I received more than I could give. Now the day has dawned and the lamp that lit my dark corner is out. A summons has come and I am ready for my journey.

Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali (Song Offerings), English edition (1912)

When it fits: someone who was at peace at the end, or who was a good neighbor to everyone. Reading time: about 45 seconds.

An honest poem, when you aren't ready to be comforted

Not every family wants comfort yet. This one says it plainly: I know, but I do not approve.

Dirge Without Music

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.

So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:

Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned

With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.

Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.

A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,

A formula, a phrase remains,—but the best is lost.

The answers quick and keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,—

They are gone. They are gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled

Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.

More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.

Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave

Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;

Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.

I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.

Edna St. Vincent Millay, The Buck in the Snow (1928)

When it fits: a death that came too soon, or a bright, funny, brave person the room can't believe is gone. Reading time: about 1 minute 30 seconds.