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Funeral poems and readings
Finding the right words for a funeral can feel harder than choosing music. A poem or reading gives everyone in the room a shared moment, and it can say the things a eulogy does not quite reach. Here are the poems and readings most often chosen for UK funerals, from classic verses to modern, non-religious options.
Classic funeral poems
The verses families have turned to for generations. Most are short, easy to read aloud, and familiar enough to comfort a room.
Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep, Mary Elizabeth Frye
"Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there, I do not sleep."
The most requested funeral poem in the UK. It speaks of presence in sunlight, wind and stars rather than endings.
Death is Nothing at All, Henry Scott-Holland
"Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room."
Written as a sermon, now read at services everywhere. Warm, conversational, and quietly reassuring.
Remember, Christina Rossetti
"Remember me when I am gone away, gone far away into the silent land."
A Victorian poem that gives permission to grieve and, later, to smile again.
Crossing the Bar, Alfred, Lord Tennyson
"Sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me."
A short maritime poem about setting out on a final journey. Often chosen for sailors and anyone who loved the water.
Let Me Not to the Marriage of True Minds, William Shakespeare
"Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds."
Better known as Sonnet 116. A strong choice when the reading should speak about love that outlasts death.
Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, Dylan Thomas
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
Fierce and defiant. Often chosen when the person lived boldly or when the family wants to honour fight and fire.
Modern funeral readings
Newer words that feel like a conversation. These are often easier to personalise if the person did not want a traditional service.
She Is Gone / He Is Gone, David Harkins
A modern reading that turns loss into gratitude. Often adapted to match the person who has died.
Afterglow, Unknown
A short, comforting verse about leaving a little light behind. Popular at celebrations of life.
The Parting Glass, Traditional Irish
Often read or sung at the end of a service. Gentle, communal, and easy for a room to share.
You Can Shed Tears That She Is Gone, David Harkins
A longer reflection on choosing remembrance over sorrow. Works well when read by a family member.
A Song of Living, Amelia Josephine Burr
A lesser known classic about making life a gift to others. Good when the service should feel thankful rather than sad.
Nice non-religious readings for a funeral
If the service is not in a church or chapel, these readings focus on a life lived rather than an afterlife promised.
Funeral Blues, W.H. Auden
Famous, direct, and unflinching. Best when the family wants to name the silence that follows a loss.
The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost
A poem about choices and the life someone made their own. Works beautifully for a person who carved their own path.
When I Am Dead, My Dearest, Christina Rossetti
Quiet and unsentimental. A good choice for a non-religious service that still wants a classic voice.
Remember Me, Unknown
A simple, modern instruction to the people left behind: remember the laugh, the stories, the little things.
A tribute that is written only for them
Poems and readings are beautiful, but they were written for everyone. A bespoke memorial song is written for one person. We take your stories, their phrases, and the way they made people feel, and turn them into an original song you can play at the service and keep forever.