Poem
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.
Description and Interpretation
This poem, titled "Do Not Stand at my Grave and Weep," was written by Mary Elizabeth Frye. Frye’s essential theme within this poem is that even if someone is not physically there after they pass away, they are always around you in any other way you can imagine. A person you lose can be found in any object, idea, or place. For example, birds can be symbols of someone you have lost, say, if you have a memory with them that involves birds. Also, they can even be the rain that grazes your skin. As long as there is something to make you think of the person you lost, that is where they are. The story told through this poem expresses that a person who was once by your side can still be with you, even when they aren’t in a physical human body. The idea that a soul carries on is large in this poem. The tone and mood of this poem both are a bit solemn and melancholy. Though this is true, the idea behind the words is hopeful, as the reader can think about the ways in which they can keep a loved one alive. The idea of not “weeping” at a grave is both melancholy and hopeful because most people want to find solace in the one place their person is, which is typically their grave stone. Though, in this poem, that thought is challenged. This poem bends the idea of what things mean to people and how loved ones can be memorialized.