Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep

One of the most popular bereavement poems in English, “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” holds even more allure for its mysterious origins and many reinventions. A traditional, rhyming anti-elegy, the poem uses imagery and metaphor commonly associated with death and rebirth. The poem’s voice, a direct address, reaches out to readers in an emotional appeal. This personal, intimate connection sustains the poem’s popularity across generations.

Its first appearance in an American poetry journal establishes the poem’s existence as early as 1934, then entitled “Immortality,” but variant versions and authorship claims have suggested deeper cultural roots. Some readers identify the poem as Irish in origin; others believe the poem reconfigures a Native American narrative.

Heard in television shows, radio, video game narratives and countless funeral services, the poem developed a life of its own, becoming in many ways the property of its audience. Versions exist in several languages, and it has been set to music. Investigations into its authorship, most proving inconclusive, continue to fascinate literary critics, media scholars, and the popular imagination.

Poet Biography

“Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” cannot be ascribed to a definitive author.