Mary Elizabeth Frye’s poem, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep”, is one of the most popular funeral poems of all time. Her words reinforce the belief that our lost loved ones are still with us, even if in different ways now.
“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep”
by Mary Elizabeth Frye
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 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.
Commentary
I don’t believe there is much I can personally say about this poem that can enhance its beauty or meaning.
There is additional art and history, however, that I truly believe makes this poem profound and heart warming and wrenching at the same time.
In Gibraltar, 1988, Mairéad Farrell and two others were shot dead by undercover British agents. She was a member of the Provisional Irish Republican Army that sought to gain Northern Ireland’s independence from the United Kingdom. Her death was controversial as several witnesses confirmed she and two of her comrades were unarmed and with their hands up. This sparked notions that the UK had shoot to kill orders on members of the IRA.
It also led to this masterpiece, “The Ballad of Mairéad Farrell”, which beautifully incorporates Mary Elizabeth Frye’s elegy in a tribute to Mairéad Farrell.
Haunting really. Farrell was largely considered a terrorist. Yet, had history went the favor of the IRA, she could of been an iconic liberator.
Her protests in prison were incontestably heroic. Women were frequently subject to excessive brutality, humiliating strip searches and denial of toilet use. This led to a dirty protest and hunger strikes.
Heroine or villainess, Farrell is an interesting human being. This elegy, this song and this history has a sort of tragic, beautiful complexity to it. Wouldn’t you agree?