Words to Be Read at a Funeral

Last updated 8^th October 2021

xi min read

Non-religious funeral readings are a beautiful manner to connect to grieving loved ones, giving you the ability to make a non-religious funeral personal and unique. They help to capture the spirit of the person lost and express the feelings of the people left behind. Some can be mournful while others tin can be uplifting.

Similar funeral songs, a well-called poem or funeral reading can offer condolement or raise a smile and will serve as a wonderful reminder of a loved 1 long into the time to come.

Whether you lot read from your lost loved 1'south favourite literary classic or find condolement in the words of a popular children's novel, secular funeral readings have the power to uplift, inspire and connect those attending the service.

Here's a pick of beautiful bereavement poems, prose and extracts to help yous in your search.

Popular bereavement poems

Curt funeral poems

Non-religious and Humanist funeral poems

Religious funeral poems

Happy and funny funeral poems

Paying tribute to parents

Vocal lyrics as funeral verses

Book extracts every bit funeral readings

Popular bereavement poems

Here are some examples of popular funeral poems. All have beautiful and poignant meanings.

Funeral Dejection

She Is Gone

Practice Not Stand At My Grave And Weep

Recall

Funeral Dejection – W. H. Auden

Stop all the clocks, cut off the phone,

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Silence the pianos and with muffled pulsate

Bring out the bury, let the mourners come…

Read total poem

She is Gone – David Harkins

You tin shed tears that she is gone

or you tin smile because she has lived.

Y'all can close your eyes and pray that she will come back

or you can open your optics and encounter all she has left.

Your heart tin exist empty because you tin't see her

or you can exist total of the dear you lot shared…

Read full poem

Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep – Mary Elizabeth Frye

For over 70 years, this uplifting poem has been a common reading at funerals due to its beautiful message that those who love yous are always with you. Although the verse form has disputed authorship, it has been widely accepted that Frye wrote this poem for a young daughter worried near her mother, becoming popular for its ability to resonate and inspire hope.

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am non there. I do non sleep.

I am a k winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain…

Read full poem

Remember – Christina Rosetti

Written in 1849, "Call up" is a Victorian verse form beautifully covering the themes of mourning, life, memory and honey. Told from the perspective of the lost loved one, the poem offers a smashing deal of comfort for listeners, request friends and family unit to call up them but to also prioritise their happiness.

Call back me when I am gone away,

Gone far abroad into the silent land;

When you can no more concord me by the manus,

Nor I half plough to become yet turning stay.

Retrieve me when no more than twenty-four hours by solar day

Yous tell me of our future that you planned:

Only recollect me; you lot sympathise

It will be late to counsel and then or pray.

Yet if you should forget me for a while

And later recall, do not grieve:

For if the darkness and abuse leave

A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,

Better by far yous should forget and grinning

Than that y'all should remember and be sad.

Brusk funeral poems

Shorter poems can besides be a proficient selection for children who desire to participate in the funeral service, or for adults who are too upset or nervous to say more.

They as well make good diction for funeral flowers and sympathy cards.

If I Should Go

Though I Am Dead

Those Who Beloved

A Clear Midnight

If I Should Go – Joyce Grenfell

If I should go before the rest of yous

Suspension non a bloom nor inscribe a stone

Nor when I'm gone speak in a Dominicus voice

Merely be the usual selves that I have known

Weep if you must

Parting is hell

But life goes on

So sing also.

Though I am Dead – Anonymous

Though I am dead grieve not for me with tears

think non of death with sorrowing and tears;

I am so near that every tear you lot shed

touches and tortures me though you think me dead.

But when you lot express mirth and sing in glad delight,

my soul is lifted upward to the light.

Laugh and be glad for all that life is giving

and I, though dead, will share your joy in living.

Those Who Honey – Anonymous

Information technology's ever those who dearest the most

Who most miss the one they love,

When comes the parting of the means,

And clouds loom dark above;

Just tears will pass, your skies volition clear

And so will yous smile over again,

And comfort detect in memories,

Which now bring bitter pain.

A Articulate Midnight – Walt Whitman

This is thy hr O Soul, thy free flying into the wordless,

Away from books, away from art, the 24-hour interval erased, the lesson done,

Thee fully forth emerging, silent, gazing, pondering the

themes thou lovest best,

Night, sleep, decease and the stars.

Not-religious and Humanist funeral poems

With Humanist and culling funerals on the rise, poems are a great way to express feelings and offering condolement without any religious sentiment.

A humanist funeral is conducted by trained celebrants. It is commonly a very personal ceremonies.

Non-religious funeral poems brand a thoughtful addition to these ceremonies.

I Am There

Expiry is Zilch at All

The Road Not Taken

Sunflowers

I Am In that location – Iris Hesselden

Look for me when the tide is high

And the gulls are wheeling overhead

When the autumn wind sweeps the cloudy sky

And one by one the leaves are shed

I am there, where the river flows…

Read full verse form

Expiry is Zero at All – Canon Henry Scott-Kingdom of the netherlands

Decease is goose egg at all

I have only slipped away into the next room

I am I and you are you

Whatsoever we were to each other

That we are still

Call me by my own familiar name

Speak to me in the easy mode you always used…

Read full poem

The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

2 roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And lamentable I could not travel both

And exist i traveler, long I stood

And looked down i as far equally I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

And then took the other, as only as off-white,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wearable;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning as lay

In leaves no footstep had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the get-go for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should always come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Ii roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less travelled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Sunflowers – Rupi Kaur

despite knowing

they won't be here long

they still choose to live

their brightest lives

Religious funeral poems

If your loved one wished for a religious ceremony, a reading or poesy with their faith in mind would exist a proficient place to start.

Psalm 23

Another Leaf Has Fallen

A Place Called Sky

Psalm 23

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not desire.

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 volition fear no evil; for M fine art with me;

Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me.

Thou preparest a tabular array before me in the presence of mine enemies;

One thousand anointest my head with oil; my loving cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I volition dwell in the business firm of the Lord forever.

Another Leaf Has Fallen – Unknown

Another leaf has fallen,

another soul has gone.

But still nosotros take God's promises,

in every robin's song.

For he is in His heaven,

and though He takes away,

He ever leaves to mortals,

the bright sun's kindly ray.

He leaves the fragrant blossoms,

and lovely forest, dark-green.

And gives us new institute comfort,

when we on Him will lean.

A Identify Called Heaven – Prayers for Special Assist

I have a identify that waits for me

A place I beloved, called Calvary

Where angels sing and rejoice all day

And children laugh, run and play.

Hither the Masters holds my mitt

As we walk through Heavens land.

This is the place Ive dreamed of for then long

So beautiful, so heavenly like the angels song.

Happy and funny funeral poems

There's no rule that says a funeral reading must be serious or sad. A funeral tin be a commemoration of life and a fond farewell.

What's wonderful is that uplifting funeral poems are ofttimes chosen by the deceased during their lifetime, to comfort those left behind.

What is Success?

When Great Copse Autumn

Farewell My Friends

Afterglow

The Last Will and Attestation of Jack Thackray

What is Success? – Ralph Waldo Emerson

This timeless poem from Ralph Waldo Emerson is perfect for those wanting to stay away from the topic of death and instead focus on life. It celebrates the lilliputian things in life, defining success as living kindly and proudly. This poem is a lovely mode to gloat the life of your lost loved ane and get out people with a cogitating smile on their face.

To laugh oftentimes and love much, to win the respect of intelligent persons and the affections of children;

to earn the beatitude of honest critics and to endure the betrayal of fake friends;

to capeesh the beauty;

to find the all-time in others;

to give one's self;

to leave the world a bit amend, whether by healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

to accept played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

to know fifty-fifty 1 life has breathed easier because y'all have lived,

this is to have succeeded.

"When Great Trees Fall" extract past Maya Angelou

Maya Angelou uses the metaphor of bully trees to inspire powerful imagery, symbolsing how death can have such a monumental affect and leave its mark. The final stanza of the poem, written below, is particularly poignant, explaining how pain is replaced by an 'electrical vibration'. This vibration reminds us that our loved ones are always connected to us, even when they are gone.

And when nifty souls die,

after a period peace blooms,

slowly and ever

irregularly. Spaces fill

with a kind of

soothing electric vibration.

Our senses, restored, never

to exist the same, whisper to us.

They existed. They existed.

We can exist. Exist and be

better. For they existed

Farewell My Friends – Rabindranath Tagore

Information technology was beautiful every bit long as it lasted

The journey of my life.

I accept no regrets whatsoever

Salvage the pain I'll get out behind.

Those dear hearts who love and intendance…

And the strings pulling at the center and soul…

Read full verse form

Afterglow – Unknown

I'd like the memory of me to exist a happy one.

I'd like to leave an afterglow of smiles when life is done.

I'd similar to go out an echo whispering softly downwards 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.

The Final Volition and Testament of Jack Thackray – Jack Thackray

I, the under-mentioned, by this document

Do declare my true intentions, my concluding volition, my attestation.

When I plow up my toes, when I rattle my clack, when I agonise,

I want no neat moisture weepings, no trigger-happy of hair, no wringing of hands,

No sighs, no lack-a-days, no woe-is-me's and none of your sad adieus.

Go, go, go and get the priest and then go go the booze, boys.

Read total verse form

Paying tribute to parents

Losing a parent is difficult at any age and for some it tin can exist overwhelming to recount personal stories at the funeral.

A funeral poem is an alternative way to share your memories and convey how the person influenced you.

Funeral poems for mum

A Mother's Honey – Helen Steiner Rice

A Mother'south beloved is something

that no 1 can explicate,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain,

Information technology is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may …

Read full poem

Funeral poems for Dad

His Charming Means – Unknown

His charming means and grinning face up;

Are a pleasure to recall;

He had a kindly give-and-take for each;

And died dearest past all…

Read full verse form

Song lyrics as funeral readings

If your loved ane had a special identify in their center for music, a reading of one of their favourite songs, or 1 with particularly meaningful lyrics, can be a lovely fashion to pay tribute to them.

A vocal means something different to everyone who hears it. Reading one that reminds you of your loved one and their life is very personal and helps you lot say what you want to when y'all can't discover the right words yourself.

These readings make a great alternative to a traditional poem or verse for a funeral.

Good day England'southward rose

In My Life

Wish Yous Were Here

You'll Never Walk Solitary

Goodbye England'due south rose – Elton John

Goodbye England's rose

May yous ever grow in our hearts

Y'all were the grace that placed itself

Where lives were torn apart

Yous called out to our country

And you lot whispered to those in pain

Now you lot belong to sky

And the stars spell out your name

And it seems to me you lived your life

Like a candle in the air current

Never fading with the sunset

When the rain set in

And your footsteps will always fall hither

Along England'south greenest hills

Your candle's burned out long before

Your legend ever will

Loveliness we've lost

These empty days without your smile

This torch we'll always carry

For our nation'due south gilded child

And even though we attempt

The truth brings us to tears

All our words cannot limited

The joy you brought us through the years

In my life – The Beatles

In that location are places I remember

All my life though some have changed

Some forever not for improve

Some have gone and some remain

All these places take their moments

With lovers and friends I still tin can retrieve

Some are dead and some are living

In my life I've loved them all

Simply of all these friends and lovers

At that place is no one compares with you

And these memories lose their pregnant

When I retrieve of love as something new

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll ofttimes stop and recall nearly them

In my life I dearest you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection

For people and things that went before

I know I'll oft stop and think about them

In my life I love yous more

In my life I love you more than

Wish you lot were here – Pink Floyd

Then, so you think you can tell Heaven from Hell,

blueish skies from pain.

Tin you tell a green field from a cold steel rail?

A smiling from a veil?

Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?

Hot ashes for trees?

Hot air for a absurd breeze?

Common cold comfort for change?

And did you substitution a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.

Nosotros're merely two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after twelvemonth,

Running over the same old ground.

What take you found? The same onetime fears.

Wish you were hither.

You lot'll never walk lonely – Gerry and The Pacemakers

When y'all walk through a storm

Concord your head up high

And don't exist afraid of the dark

At the end of the tempest

Is a golden sky

And the sweet silver song of the lark

Walk on through the wind

Walk on through the rain

Though your dreams be tossed and diddled

Walk on walk on with promise in your middle

And you'll never walk lonely

You'll never walk alone

Book extracts as funeral readings

Whether they were lovers of literature or y'all're struggling to notice the appropriate words, reading a book extract can encapsulate the history, relationships and qualities of your lost loved one. Novels resonate with a wide audience and tin assist those attending the funeral experience close to the person they've lost, making them a wonderful add-on to whatsoever funeral. They are often non-religious and offer something dissimilar to the usual popular funeral poems.

Take a look at the secular funeral readings below to aid y'all celebrate the unique story of your loved one.

Fahrenheit 451

No Matter What

Little Prince

Winnie the Pooh

Charlotte's Spider web

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

This extract from Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 is a cute reminder that we leave our mark in many ways, be it planting a garden or introducing a kid into the earth. Our loved ones will be remembered as their soul had a lasting affect on the lives of those surrounding them.

"Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A kid or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way then your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that blossom you planted, you're in that location.

It doesn't affair what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before y'all touched it into something that's like you lot after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who but cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn-cutter might just also not take been at that place at all; the gardener will be at that place a lifetime."

An extract from No Matter What by Debi Gliori

"Does love habiliment out" said Small, "does it break or bend? Can you set up it, stick it, does it mend?"

"Oh help," said Big "I'm not that clever. I merely know I'll love you forever".

Small said: "Simply what about when you're dead and gone - would yous love me so, does love go along?"

Big held Small snug every bit they looked out at the night, at the moon in the dark and the stars shining bright.

"Small, look at the stars – how they shine and glow. Notwithstanding some of those stars died a long time ago. Still they shine in the evening skies… love, like starlight, never dies".

An extract from the Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

This beloved children'due south story withal resonates with adults and children alike, making it a popular secular funeral reading. The story explores the themes of love, loss, loneliness and friendship, and the extract below is sure to offer a moment of comfort for friends and family.

"People have stars, but they aren't the same. For travellers, the stars are guides. For other people, they're nothing but tiny lights. And for even so others, for scholars, they're bug. For my business man, they were gold. But all those stars are silent stars. You lot, though, you'll have stars like nobody else."

"What practise yous hateful?"

"When you look upwards at the sky at night, since I'll be living on 1 of them, since I'll be laughing on one of them, for you information technology'll exist as if all the stars are laughing. Y'all'll have stars that can laugh!"

"And when y'all're consoled (everyone is eventually consoled), you'll be glad you've known me. You'll ever exist my friend. You'll feel like laughing with me. And you lot'll open up your windows sometimes just for the fun of it ... And your friends will exist amazed to see y'all laughing while y'all're looking upwards at the heaven. And then y'all'll tell them, 'Aye, it'south the stars; they ever brand me laugh!' And they'll think you're crazy. It'll exist a nasty pull a fast one on I played on you ..."

An extract from Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne

"If always there is a tomorrow when we're not together there is something you lot must always call up… Y'all are braver than y'all believe. Stronger than you seem and smarter than y'all think. Only the well-nigh important thing is even if we are apart I'll e'er be with you."

Nosotros hope this selection of funeral poems has helped inspire you. When faced with bereavement and speaking at a funeral, explaining how much the person was loved and the sadness felt over the loss tin can be hard.

A poem or short verse can assistance express these emotions and takes the pressure off finding your own words yourself.

If you're thinking nigh funeral planning, a pre-paid funeral program could be an option. Read more most funeral plans.

Charlotte's Web past E. B. White

At the end of Charlotte's Web, Charlotte teaches us meaning can be found in the beautiful friendships that we build throughout our lives. While you tin can't control many things in life, including the stop of our life cycle, you can exist kind and help others - and, for that, you'll always exist remembered.

"You have been my friend. That in itself is a tremendous thing. I wove my webs for you because I liked you. Afterwards all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we alive a fiddling while, we die. A spider's life can't help beingness something of a mess, with all this trapping and eating flies. Past helping you lot, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life tin can stand a little of that."

Nosotros hope nosotros could help you to observe the perfect non-religious funeral reading to commemorate your loved 1. If non, feel free to use the to a higher place equally inspiration to write your own poem or reading, making it even more than personal to your loved one.

If y'all need to plan a funeral and would like our back up, take a look at our funeral plans today.

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Source: https://www.sunlife.co.uk/articles-guides/funeral-planning/bereavement-poems-and-poems-for-funerals/

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