Do not stand at my grave and weep
Encyclopedia
Do not stand at my grave and weep is a poem written in 1932 by Mary Elizabeth Frye
. Although the origin of the poem was disputed until later in her life, Mary Frye's authorship was confirmed in 1998 after research by Abigail Van Buren, a newspaper columnist.
Margaret Schwarzkopf had been concerned about her mother, who was ill in Germany, but she had been warned not to return home because of increasing anti-Semitic unrest. When her mother died, the heartbroken young woman told Frye that she never had the chance to “stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear”. Frye found herself composing a piece of verse on a brown paper shopping bag. Later she said that the words “just came to her” and expressed what she felt about life and death. Mary Frye circulated the poem privately. Because she never published or copyrighted it, there is no definitive version. She wrote other poems, but this, her first, endured. Her obituary in The Times made it clear that she was the author of the famous poem, which has been recited at funerals and on other appropriate occasions around the world for seventy years.
The poem was introduced to many in Britain when it was read by the father of a soldier killed by a bomb in Northern Ireland. The soldier's father read the poem on BBC radio in 1995 in remembrance of his son, having been left it in an envelope addressed 'To all my loved ones' in his personal effects. The authorship of the poem was established a few years later after an investigation by journalist Abigail Van Buren. There is a short illustrated book of the poem sometimes to be found in small-town bookshops with ink drawings for each line that includes this story in the inside dustjacket, written before the authorship was confirmed and therefore stating that the authorship is unknown.
s. Various versions exist but, with the bulk of the work being made up of a selection of images preceded by "I am...", the sense is largely the same. The poem addresses the reader/audience with the voice of a deceased person, invoking spiritual — but not specifically religious — imagery. According to the most widely promoted theory it was originally addressed to a German Jewish girl, a friend of the author. The girl's mother had died back in her homeland, but returning to pay her respects was not possible and Frye wrote the poem as part of her condolences. The source of this theory is unknown. The text soothes the addressee, reassuring of the deceased's presence everywhere in nature in both its message and its voice, and as such has become a very popular poem and a common reading for funerals.
wrote:
"The verse demonstrated a remarkable power to soothe loss. It became popular, crossing national boundaries for use on bereavement cards and at funerals regardless of race, religion or social status".
Mary Frye's original lyrics are public domain
but those by Wilbur Skeels are protected by copyright.
recorded a modified version of the poem in her 2003 album Holy Road: Freedom Songs.
, set this poem to music. The song used the same title as the poem and was first published in 2004 in Libera's album Free.
Singer-songwriter
Man Arai translated this poem into Japanese
and composed the song "" (translation: "Become A Thousand Winds"), originally sung by Man Arai himself. Although the album received little success, singers began to cover the song, among them, Japanese tenor
Masafumi Akikawa
The tenor made the song popular after performing it during the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
on December 31, 2006. In January 2007, it became the first classical music
piece to top the Oricon
weekly singles chart and became the first classical music piece to top the Oricon
yearly singles chart of 2007. Another version is of Hayley Westenra
in her album Hayley sings Japanese Songs
in the year 2008 (with the title Sen No Kaze Ni Natte.)
electronic
act Destroid
included the first and last rhyming couplets in their song "Sir William" on the album "Future Prophecies".
World of Warcraft
, memorializing a 28-year-old player named Dak "Caylee" Krause who died of leukemia on August 22, 2007.
Eternal Light - A Requiem by Howard Goodall
This recording with song and music was made in 2008 with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir (Oxford). "Do not stand" is in the very last part of the 45 minute recording.
's string of stars / And when on an early morning you are awaked by bird's song / it is my voice that you are hearing / So do not weep at my grave - we shall meet again. (Instead of these last four words there is also this version: I am not dead. I only left).
Every so often this and several other similar versions (all unsigned) appear in death and funeral announcements in Swedish morning papers (such as Svenska Dagbladet
August 14, 2010). Particularly when someone young has died unexpectedly, this poem seems to bring some degree of comfort to the bereaved family paying for the ad. Sometimes the full original English version is used instead (and then duly signed Mary Frye).
On August 29, 2010 Dagens Nyheter
carried the following short English version: I am thousand winds that blow / I am the diamond glints on snow / I am the sunlight, I am the rain / Do not stand on my grave and cry / I am not there / I did not die.
Mary Elizabeth Frye
Mary Elizabeth Frye was a Baltimore housewife and florist, best known as the author of the poem "Do not stand at my grave and weep," written in 1932....
. Although the origin of the poem was disputed until later in her life, Mary Frye's authorship was confirmed in 1998 after research by Abigail Van Buren, a newspaper columnist.
Full text
The "definitive version," as published by The Times and The Sunday Times in Frye's obituary, 5 November 2004:- 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 circling flight.
- I am the soft starlight at night.
- Do not stand at my grave and cry,
- I am not there; I did not die.
Origins
Mary Frye, who was living in Baltimore at the time, wrote the poem in 1932. She had never written any poetry, but the plight of a young German Jewish woman, Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was staying with her and her husband, inspired the poem. She wrote it down on a brown paper shopping bag.Margaret Schwarzkopf had been concerned about her mother, who was ill in Germany, but she had been warned not to return home because of increasing anti-Semitic unrest. When her mother died, the heartbroken young woman told Frye that she never had the chance to “stand by my mother’s grave and shed a tear”. Frye found herself composing a piece of verse on a brown paper shopping bag. Later she said that the words “just came to her” and expressed what she felt about life and death. Mary Frye circulated the poem privately. Because she never published or copyrighted it, there is no definitive version. She wrote other poems, but this, her first, endured. Her obituary in The Times made it clear that she was the author of the famous poem, which has been recited at funerals and on other appropriate occasions around the world for seventy years.
The poem was introduced to many in Britain when it was read by the father of a soldier killed by a bomb in Northern Ireland. The soldier's father read the poem on BBC radio in 1995 in remembrance of his son, having been left it in an envelope addressed 'To all my loved ones' in his personal effects. The authorship of the poem was established a few years later after an investigation by journalist Abigail Van Buren. There is a short illustrated book of the poem sometimes to be found in small-town bookshops with ink drawings for each line that includes this story in the inside dustjacket, written before the authorship was confirmed and therefore stating that the authorship is unknown.
Analysis
The poem is made up of six (or, sometimes eight) rhyming coupletCouplet
A couplet is a pair of lines of meter in poetry. It usually consists of two lines that rhyme and have the same meter.While traditionally couplets rhyme, not all do. A poem may use white space to mark out couplets if they do not rhyme. Couplets with a meter of iambic pentameter are called heroic...
s. Various versions exist but, with the bulk of the work being made up of a selection of images preceded by "I am...", the sense is largely the same. The poem addresses the reader/audience with the voice of a deceased person, invoking spiritual — but not specifically religious — imagery. According to the most widely promoted theory it was originally addressed to a German Jewish girl, a friend of the author. The girl's mother had died back in her homeland, but returning to pay her respects was not possible and Frye wrote the poem as part of her condolences. The source of this theory is unknown. The text soothes the addressee, reassuring of the deceased's presence everywhere in nature in both its message and its voice, and as such has become a very popular poem and a common reading for funerals.
BBC poll
To coincide with National Poetry Day 1995, the British favourite book programme, The Bookworm, conducted a poll to discover the nation's favourite poems. In some respects this poem became the nation's favourite. This was all the more remarkable, since the name and nationality of the American poet did not become known until several years later. In 2004 The TimesThe Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
wrote:
"The verse demonstrated a remarkable power to soothe loss. It became popular, crossing national boundaries for use on bereavement cards and at funerals regardless of race, religion or social status".
Rhodesia SAS C Squadron
On 2-11-1997, Col. C E Welch CBE MC OC 'C' Squadron SAS, N. Rhodesia 1960-63, read a version of the poem at the memorial service for fallen SAS soldiers."Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep", Wilbur Skeels
In 1996 Wilbur Skeels recast Frye's poem as a song, which began with the same two opening sentences and ended with the same sequence, but with an altered middle section.Mary Frye's original lyrics are public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
but those by Wilbur Skeels are protected by copyright.
"Prayer", Lizzie West
Songwriter Lizzie WestLizzie West
Lizzie West is a singer/songwriter. Her music can be described as a blend of many genres including country, folk, blues, pop, and rock. Her band is called "Lizzie West and the White Buffalo," the "White Buffalo" referring to her co-producer and boyfriend, Anthony Kieraldo...
recorded a modified version of the poem in her 2003 album Holy Road: Freedom Songs.
"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep", Libera
Robert Prizeman, musical director of the choirband, LiberaLibera (music)
Libera is a non-profit all-boy English vocal group directed by Robert Prizeman. Most members come from the parish choir of St. Philip's, Norbury, in South London. The albums, tours and TV appearances they do as Libera are in addition to their regular singing as part of the full choir of men and...
, set this poem to music. The song used the same title as the poem and was first published in 2004 in Libera's album Free.
A Thousand Winds, Man Arai
JapaneseJapanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Man Arai translated this poem into Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
and composed the song "" (translation: "Become A Thousand Winds"), originally sung by Man Arai himself. Although the album received little success, singers began to cover the song, among them, Japanese tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Masafumi Akikawa
Masafumi Akikawa
is a Japanese tenor singer. He has released a number of CDs, in which he has sung a broad range of genres, from classical to pop. He appeared on the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen broadcast....
The tenor made the song popular after performing it during the 57th NHK Kōhaku Uta Gassen
57th NHK Kohaku Uta Gassen
The , referred to from hereon as "Kōhaku," aired on December 31, 2006. This event was filmed and aired from NHK Hall in Japan. Air time was from 19:20 to 23:45 . All times are JST...
on December 31, 2006. In January 2007, it became the first classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
piece to top the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
weekly singles chart and became the first classical music piece to top the Oricon
Oricon
, established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc...
yearly singles chart of 2007. Another version is of Hayley Westenra
Hayley Westenra
Hayley Dee Westenra is a New Zealand soprano, classical crossover artist, songwriter and UNICEF Ambassador. Her first internationally released album, Pure, reached No. 1 on the UK classical charts in 2003 and has sold more than two million copies worldwide...
in her album Hayley sings Japanese Songs
Hayley sings Japanese Songs
Hayley Sings Japanese Songs is an album by Christchurch, New Zealand soprano Hayley Westenra. The album contains Westenra's interpretations of traditional and popular contemporary Japanese songs...
in the year 2008 (with the title Sen No Kaze Ni Natte.)
Sir William, Destroid
GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
act Destroid
Destroid
Destroid is a German electronic act incorporating EBM and electro.-Members / History:Founding member and vocalist Daniel Myer of Haujobb fame released the debut album Future Prophecies together with Ribi and Sebastian Ullman on the German label Out of Line in 2004 without any announcement of his...
included the first and last rhyming couplets in their song "Sir William" on the album "Future Prophecies".
"Alicia's Poem"
A paraphrased version titled "Alicia's Poem" is available as a quest item in the MMORPGMMORPG
Massively multiplayer online role-playing game is a genre of role-playing video games in which a very large number of players interact with one another within a virtual game world....
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft
World of Warcraft is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the fourth released game set in the fantasy Warcraft universe, which was first introduced by Warcraft: Orcs & Humans in 1994...
, memorializing a 28-year-old player named Dak "Caylee" Krause who died of leukemia on August 22, 2007.
"You Will Make It"
This Poem appears at the end of the Song "You Will Make It" by the song artist Jem. This song is a duet with South African singer/songwriter and poet-activist Vusi Mahlasela. According to the album's publicity materials, this moving collaboration recalls 9/11, and deals with the suffering of loss.Desperate Housewives
Another paraphrased version was read by Karen McCluskey (Kathryn Joosten) for Ida Greenberg (Pat Crawford Brown) in Season 4 Episode 10 of the TV Series where Ida died following a tornado that hit Wisteria Lane and she was told for her ashes to be spread on the baseball field.Terminator: The Sarah Conner Chronicles
Another paraphrased version is read at the graveside memorial in "Desert Cantos", Season 2, Episode 15 of the TV Series.Tom Medlin
The band Crumble Lane turned the poem into a song on their first album "Operation Overlord" (2002). The song is called "Tom Medlin"."Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep" by Harry Manx & Kevin Breit
A song of this title, with lyrics adapted from the poem, appears on the album "Strictly Whatever" by the duo Harry Manx & Kevin Breit. The album was released in May 2011.Eternal Light - A Requiem by Howard GoodallHoward Goodall210px|thumb|Howard Goodall at St. John the Baptist Church in Devon, United Kingdom, May 2009Howard Lindsay Goodall CBE is a British composer of musicals, choral music and music for television...
& Stephen DarlingtonStephen DarlingtonStephen Darlington is a British choral director and conductor, and president of the Royal College of Organists from 1999-2001.During the early 1970s Darlington was organ scholar at Christ Church, Oxford, studying under Simon Preston...
This recording with song and music was made in 2008 with the Christ Church Cathedral Choir (Oxford). "Do not stand" is in the very last part of the 45 minute recording.Non-English versions
This poem has been translated into several languages, such as Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Swedish and Tagalog. Several Swedish versions exist. One version starts as follows: Gråt ej vid min grav....(Translating back into English)...Do not weep at my grave - I am not there / I am in the sun's reflection in the sea / I am in the wind's play above the grain fields / I am in the autumn's gentle rain / I am in the Milky WayMilky Way
The Milky Way is the galaxy that contains the Solar System. This name derives from its appearance as a dim un-resolved "milky" glowing band arching across the night sky...
's string of stars / And when on an early morning you are awaked by bird's song / it is my voice that you are hearing / So do not weep at my grave - we shall meet again. (Instead of these last four words there is also this version: I am not dead. I only left).
Every so often this and several other similar versions (all unsigned) appear in death and funeral announcements in Swedish morning papers (such as Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
August 14, 2010). Particularly when someone young has died unexpectedly, this poem seems to bring some degree of comfort to the bereaved family paying for the ad. Sometimes the full original English version is used instead (and then duly signed Mary Frye).
On August 29, 2010 Dagens Nyheter
Dagens Nyheter
is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It has the largest circulation of Swedish morning newspapers, followed by Göteborgs-Posten and Svenska Dagbladet, and is the only morning newspaper that is distributed to subscribers across the whole country. In 2009 DN had a circulation of 316,000, reaching 881...
carried the following short English version: I am thousand winds that blow / I am the diamond glints on snow / I am the sunlight, I am the rain / Do not stand on my grave and cry / I am not there / I did not die.