There's a reason these poems are popular for funerals — they capture the feelings of grief or provide words of comfort for loved ones left behind.
An elegy is a poem that expresses sorrow or melancholy, often about someone who has died. A eulogy is usually a speech that praises the achievements and character of a person who has died, often as part of a funeral service.
Endless time can be spent looking for that special poem or prayer, or you may have always had a poem in mind tucked away safely somewhere for when the occasion arises to celebrate life and say goodbye to a loved one that has died.
Some people may choose to write their own words, it is also ok to use another’s words which can perfectly convey what you want to say and what you feel in your heart.
Here are a few beautiful poems and prayers that might resonate with you, or at least get you started in getting an idea of what you are looking for…
What you leave behind is not
what is engraved in stone monuments, but
what is woven into the lives of others.
~ Thucydides ~
It’s hard to turn the page when
you know someone won’t be in the next chapter, but
the story must go on.
~ Thomas Wilder ~
Never Forgotten
I think of things you use to say
And all the things you would do,
At some point, every single day,
My thoughts will turn to you.
To lose you was a bitter wrench,
The pain cut to my core.
I cried until my tears ran out
And then I cried some more.
This wouldn’t be your wish for me
That I’d be forever sad.
So, I try to remind myself
Of the happy times we had.
I know I can’t be with you now
And you can’t be with me
But safe inside my heart you’ll stay,
That’s where you’ll always be.
~ MS Moem ~
Legacy of Love
A wife, a mother, a grandmother too,
This is the legacy we have from you.
You taught us love and how to fight,
You gave us strength, you gave us might.
A stronger person would be hard to find,
And in you heart, you were always kind.
You fought for us all in one way or another,
Not just as a wife not just as a mother.
For all of us you gave your best,
Now the time has come for you to rest.
So go in peace, you’ve earned your sleep,
Your love in your hearts, we’ll eternally keep.
~ Unknown Author ~
Peace Prayer of St Francis Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace: where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy. O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console, to be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.
~ Father Esther Bouquerel ~
Miss Me But Let Me Go
When I come to the end of the road And the sun has set for me I want no rites in a gloom-filled room Why cry for a soul set free? Miss me a little-but not too long And not with your head bowed low Remember the love that we once shared Miss me-but let me go For this is a journey that we all must take And each must go alone. It's all part of the Master's plan A step on the road to home When you are lonely and sick of heart Go to the friends we know And bury your sorrows in doing good deeds Miss me but let me go.
~ Christina Georgina Rossetti ~
By The Sweat of your Brow
“By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food until
you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are and
to dust you will return.”
~ Genisis 3:19 ~
If Roses Grow In Heaven
If roses grow in heaven,
Lord please pick a bunch for me,
Place them in my Mother’s arms
and tell her they’re from me.
Tell her I love her and miss her,
and when she turns to smile,
place a kiss upon her cheek
and hold her for a while.
Because remembering her is easy,
I do it every day,
but there’s an ache within my heart
that will never go away.
~ Dolores M. Garcia ~
Some Days
They tell me life’s a journey
That will take me many years
Some days are filled with laughter
And some days are filled with tears
Some days I think my heart will break
That I can’t persevere
Some days I have to don a mask
And hide beneath its veneer
Some days I turn and look for you
With thoughts I’d like to share
Some days I just can’t understand
The reason you’re not there
Some days the sadness leaves me
And my smile will reappear
Some days I close my eyes because
Your memory is so clear
Some days I struggle to go on
Just wishing you were near
Most days I spend in gratitude
That you were ever here.
I~ Unknown Author~