Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep
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 glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
Mary Frye (1932)
http://www.poetseers.org/contemporary_poets/mary
I chose this poem because it sheds a more uplifting light on the death of a loved one. Instead of sending a depressing message about how she will never be with her loved one again, the author tells that person not to grieve over her death. She illustrates how she will always be with her loved one very visually throughout the poem. It can also be seen as a very spiritual poem, for although the author has passed on, her spirit lives on in nature. I really love all of the visuals the poet uses throughout the poem. As I read the poem, I am able to visualize exactly what the poet is trying to say as she describes how her spirit has lived on.
What I decided to do for my book is to create it in the shape of a tombstone, for the poem is about death and mourning, or lack there of. Another reason I wanted to use a tombstone is because it contrasts the uplifting mood of the poem. I want to bind the bottom of the pages together with a type of vine that is weaved in and out. For the cover, i want to make the text look like an engraving, like that of a tombstone, with the title of the poem, etc. I want to emphasize and enlarge certain words throughout the poem, such as the words that are significant to the images, or such as the word "not" in the final line, "I am not there, I did not die!" I also want to use images of a weeping eye, blowing wind, glistening snow, and other imagery that is discussed in the 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 glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you wake in the morning hush,
I am the swift, uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circling flight.
I am the soft starlight at night.
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
Do not stand at my grave and cry.
I am not there, I did not die!
Mary Frye (1932)
http://www.poetseers.org/contemporary_poets/mary
I chose this poem because it sheds a more uplifting light on the death of a loved one. Instead of sending a depressing message about how she will never be with her loved one again, the author tells that person not to grieve over her death. She illustrates how she will always be with her loved one very visually throughout the poem. It can also be seen as a very spiritual poem, for although the author has passed on, her spirit lives on in nature. I really love all of the visuals the poet uses throughout the poem. As I read the poem, I am able to visualize exactly what the poet is trying to say as she describes how her spirit has lived on.
What I decided to do for my book is to create it in the shape of a tombstone, for the poem is about death and mourning, or lack there of. Another reason I wanted to use a tombstone is because it contrasts the uplifting mood of the poem. I want to bind the bottom of the pages together with a type of vine that is weaved in and out. For the cover, i want to make the text look like an engraving, like that of a tombstone, with the title of the poem, etc. I want to emphasize and enlarge certain words throughout the poem, such as the words that are significant to the images, or such as the word "not" in the final line, "I am not there, I did not die!" I also want to use images of a weeping eye, blowing wind, glistening snow, and other imagery that is discussed in the poem.
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