Inscription of the poem on a
gravestone in an English churchyard
Do not stand at my grave and weep is a poem, written 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.
An early version, printed by others on postcards:
- 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 autumn rain.
- When you awaken in the morning's 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 at my grave and cry;
- I am not there. I did not die.
Her later confirmed version:
- Do not stand at my grave and weep,
- I am not there, I do not sleep.
- I am in a thousand winds that blow,
- I am the softly falling snow.
- I am the gentle showers of rain,
- I am the fields of ripening grain.
- I am in the morning hush,
- I am in the graceful rush
- Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
- I am the starshine of the night.
- I am in the flowers that bloom,
- I am in a quiet room.
- I am in the birds that sing,
- I am in each lovely thing.
- Do not stand at my grave and cry,
- I am not there. I do not die.
[edit] Analysis
The poem is made up of six (or, sometimes eight) rhyming couplets. 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 generally accepted theory, that of Frye's writing the poem, 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 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 very popular poem, and a common reading for funerals.
[edit] Origins
There is some ambiguity as to the poem's writer, and it was not published by Frye, although she was the only living person to credibly claim its authorship. Frye is nearly universally cited as the author, and her literary significance is based almost entirely upon it, but other sources, including traditional native American origins, have been suggested over the years.
[edit] A Thousand Winds
Japanese Singer-songwriter Man Arai translated this poem into Japanese and composed the song entitled "千の風になって" (translation: "As A Thousand Winds"), and originally sung by Man Arai himself. Although the album received little success, singers began to cover the song, among them, Japanese tenor Akikawa Masafumi. 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.
- 私のお墓の前で 泣かないでください
- Watashi no ohaka no mae de Nakanai de kudasai
- Do not weep at my grave.
- そこに私はいません 眠ってなんかいません
- Soko ni watashi wa imasen Nemutte nanka imasen
- I am not there. I am not sleeping.
- 千の風に 千の風になって
- Sen no kaze ni Sen no kaze ni natte
- A thousand winds. I will become a thousand winds.
- あの大きな空を 吹きわたっています
- Ano ooki na sora wo fukiwatatte imasu
- I blow in the great sky.
- 秋には光になって 畑にふりそそぐ
- Aki ni wa hikari ni natte Hatake ni furisosogu
- In the autumn, I am the light that falls upon the crop fields.
- 冬はダイヤのように きらめく雪になる
- Fuyu wa daiya no you ni Kirameku yuki ni naru
- In the winter, I am the falling snow that shines as a diamond.
- 朝は鳥になって あなたを目覚めさせる
- Asa wa tori ni natte Anata wo mezamesaseru
- In the morning, I am the bird to whose song you awake.
- 夜は星になって あなたを見守る
- Yoru wa hoshi ni natte Anata wo mimamoru
- At night, I am the stars that watch over you.
- 私のお墓の前で 泣かないでください
- Watashi no ohaka no mae de Nakanai de kudasai
- Do not cry at my grave.
- そこに私はいません 死んでなんかいません
- Soko ni watashi wa imasen Shinde nanka imasen
- I am not there. I did not die.
- 千の風に 千の風になって
- Sen no kaze ni Sen no kaze ni natte
- As a thousand winds. As a thousand winds.
- あの大きな空を 吹きわたっています
- Ano ooki na sora wo fukiwatatte imasu
- That blow in the great sky.
- 千の風に 千の風になって
- Sen no kaze ni Sen no kaze ni natte
- As a thousand winds. As a thousand winds.
- あの大きな空を 吹きわたっています
- Ano ooki na sora wo fukiwatatte imasu
- That blow in the great sky.
- あの大きな空を 吹きわたっています
- Ano ooki na sora wo Fukiwatatte imasu
- I blow in the great sky.
[edit] Alicia's Poem
- Alicia's Poem on WoWWiki, a Warcraft wiki
A paraphrased version entitled "Alicia's Poem" is available as a quest item in the MMORPG World of Warcraft, memorializing a 28-year-old player named Dak "Caylee" Krause who died of leukemia on August 22, 2007.
- Do not stand at my grave and weep,
- I am not there, I do not sleep.
- I am in a thousand winds that blow,
- across Northrend's bright and shining snow.
- I am the gentle showers of rain,
- on Westfall's fields of golden grain.
- I am in the morning hush,
- of Stranglethorn's jungle, green and lush.
- I am in the drums loud and grand,
- the thunderous hooves across Nagrand.
- I am the stars warmly gleaming,
- over Darnassus softly dreaming.
- I am in the birds that sing,
- I am in each lovely thing.
- Do not stand at my grave and cry,
- I am not there. I do not die.
[edit] Song by 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 but those by Wilbur Skeels are copyrighted.
[edit] Use in popular culture
- The poem was read on the Best Damn Sports Show Period special entitled "The 50 most inspirational sports moments of all time". The poem was read over a picture montage of Pat Tillman, an American pro football player who joined the army, and died while serving in Afghanistan.
- An earlier version of poem was read at a memorial service in the British television drama Prime Suspect: The Final Act.
- Heard in the television series Joan of Arcadia in episode "Jump" in which a shorter version is recited at character Rocky's funeral.
- Heard in the television series Third Watch in episode "My Opening Farewell", sung during Alex's funeral procession by Lizzie West.
- Used as the basis for Lizzie West's song "Prayer" from her album Holy Road: Freedom Songs. This song appeared in Alias Season Two ("The Telling").
- Cited also in the BBC television series Judge John Deed at the funeral of a boy who Deed decided should have a heart transplant against the wishes of the boy.
- The poem was read at Feeder drummer Jon Lee's funeral in 2002.
- Recited by character Mrs. McCluskey in the American television drama Desperate Housewives, episode "Welcome to Kanagawa". The modified version is used just before Lynette Scavo scatters the ashes of Ida Greenberg on the baseball field where Ida had executed a triple play as a women's professional ballplayer. That version is:
- 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 of snow
- I am the sunlight on ripened grain
- I am the gentle autumn’s rain
- Do not stand at my grave and cry
- I am not there, I did not die
- The same version began the introduction of "Stephen Lives" by Anne Puryear, attributed as an Indian prayer in memory of a fallen tribe member.
- Cited in the second episode (season 1) of the American cop drama The Shield.
- Earlier version read on Australian soap Home and Away by Cassie Turner at Flynn's funeral.
- The poem is read over the last part of the song "You Will Make It" by Jem featuring Vusi Mahlasela on the album Down to Earth.
- The poem is sung by Katherine Jenkins on her album Living a Dream.
- The poem is sung acapella as an epilogue to Michael Stanley's 2008 album Just Another Night. It serves as a coda to the song "Winter", which ends abruptly in mid-bar, suggesting a sudden death.
- Cited in the fifteenth episode (Season 2) of the American science-ficion drama Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
- The poem is used as a movement in Eleanor Daley's composition "Requiem" as the movement "In Remembrance".
- Cited in the foreword of the BBC book "The Nation's Favourite Poem". It was left in an envelope for his parents by a soldier by the name of Stephen Cummins who at the age of 24 was killed on active service in 1989 in Northern Ireland, when a mine blew up an armoured car near Derry — to be opened in the event of his death. It was read in 1995, on the BBC TV on Remembrance Day by Mr Cummins' father. Many assumed at first that the soldier had written it. The poem was hailed in the press as "the most requested poem in the English language in the past 60 years" and "the poem that takes the nation by storm". It is reproduced in the foreword of the book, written by English comedian Griff Rhys Jones, because although it was considered ineligible for the title of "Nation's Favourite Poem", it was considered to be the de facto winner based on public opinion.
- The poem is used by the German progressive band Dark Suns in the song "Inside Final Dreams" on their 2002 debut album "Swanlike".
- Used for Former President Cory Aquino's Tribute Commercial for Studio 23
[edit] External links
