These sympathy poems are moving words of compassion and wisdom that can be used at funeral services. They are also a source of comfort for the bereaved.

It was through sympathy poems that I first became interested in collecting positive and inspirational quotes and verse, I think that some of these verses are really uplifting to be read at any time, a great reminder to us all that love is the greatest blessing in life, and it continues even after we are gone from this physical world.

All of the poems on this page are from known authors and are entered alphabetically on their surnames. Poems from unknown sources are on the Words of Sympathy page. I have included two of my own poems on this page but there is also have a page with many more of my Sympathy Poems.

Sympathy poems are listed alphabetically on authors surname

B Sympathy Poems

I am standing on the sea shore.

A ship sails and spreads her white sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.

She is an object of beauty and I stand watching her till at last she fades on the horizon, and someone at my side says, “She is gone.” Gone where? Gone from my sight, that is all.

She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her, and just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination. The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her.

And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “She is gone,” there are others who are watching her coming and other voices take up a glad shout, “There she comes,” and that is dying.

Luther F. Beecher 1813 – 1903

If I should never see the moon again
Rising red gold across the harvest field,
Or feel the stinging of soft April rain
As the brown earth her hidden treasures yield.

If I should never hear the thrushes wake
Long before the sunrise in the glittering dawn,
Or watch the huge Atlantic rollers break
Against the rugged cliffs in baffling scorn.

If I have said goodbye to stream and wood
To the wide ocean and green clad hill,
I know that He who made this world good
Has somewhere made a Heaven better still.

This I bear witness with my last breath
Knowing the love of God
I fear not death.

Malcom Boyd

Where There Is Love

Sometimes it is very hard to let go of those people we love.
Just as it is hard sometimes for parents to let their children go off into the world, to live their own lives.
It is hard sometimes for the bereaved to let their loved ones journey into the Light, into a new life of which we on Earth know so little.

But perhaps it is only through being parted from our loved ones that we come to appreciate them fully.

Perhaps it was only through being parted from God that we could truly appreciate Him.
Perhaps that was what being cast out of the Garden of Eden was all about.

Only through being deprived for a time can we really treasure what we once had.

Where there is love there is a link – bridging of space, of time and circumstances.
Where there is love, an eventual reunion is completely certain.

Love is the strongest force there is. St Paul was right about that – and if we let love rule all of our relationships it will bring us ultimately into harmony, and wholeness, and Oneness with the supreme source of love which is God.

Rosemary Brown 1916 – 2001

F Sympathy Poems

The Traveler

He/She has put on invisibility.
Dear Lord, I cannot see
But this I know, although the road ascends
And passes from my sight,
That there will be no night;
That You will take him/her gently by the hand
And lead him/her on
Along the road of life that never ends,
And he/she will find it is not death but dawn.
I do not doubt that You are there as here,
And You will hold him/her dear.

Our life did not begin with birth,
It is not of the earth;
And this that we call death, it is no more
Than the opening and closing of a door –
And in Your house how many rooms must be
Beyond this one where we rest momently.

Dear Lord, I thank You for the faith that frees,
The love that knows it cannot lose its own;
The love that, looking through the shadows, sees
That You and he/she and I are ever one!

James Dillet Freeman 1912 – 2003

Near shady wall a rose once grew
Budded and blossomed in God’s free light,
Watered and fed by morning due
Shedding its sweetness day and night.

As it grew and blossomed fait and tall
Slowly rising to loftier height,
It came to a crevice in the wall
Through which there shone a beam of light.

Onward it crept with added strength
With never a thought of fear of pride,
It followed the light through the crevices length
And unfolded itself on the other side.

The light, the dew, the broadening view
Were found the same as they were before,
And it lost itself in beauties new
Breathing its fragrance more and more.

Shall claim of death cause us to grieve
And make our courage faint or fail,
Nay, let us faith and hope receive,
The rose still grows beyond the wall.

Scattering fragrance far and wide,
Just as it did in the days of yore
Just as it did on the other side
Just as it will forever more.

Almira L. Frink 1870 – 1903

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 glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain
I am the gentle autumns rain.
When you awaken in the mornings 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 a my grave and cry
I am not there, I did not die.

Mary Frye 1905 – 2004

G Sympathy Poems

We Told Our Stories

We told our stories – that’s all
We sat and listened to each other
And heard the journeys of each soul.

We sat in silence
Entering each ones pain and sharing each ones joy.

We heard love’s longing
And the lonelys reaching out for love and affirmation.
We heard of dreams shattered and visions fled.
Of hopes and laughter turned stale and dark.
We felt the pain of isolation
And the bitterness of death.

But in each brave and lonely story
God’s gentle life broke through
And we heard music in the darkness
And smelt flowers in the void.

We felt the budding of creation
In the searching of each soul
And discerned the beauty
Of God’s hand in each muddy, twisted path.
And his voice sang in each story
His life sprang from each death
Our sharing became one story
Of a simple lonely search
For life and hope and oneness.
In a world which sobs for love.
And we knew that in our sharing
God’s voice with mighty breath
Was saying love each other
Take each other’s hand.
For you are one, though many
And in each of you I live.

So listen to my story
And share my pain
And death.
Oh, listen to my story
And rise and live
With me

Edwina Gateley

For what is it to die?
But to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun.

And what is it to cease breathing? But to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God, unencumbered.

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top then you shall begin to climb. And the Earth shall claim your limbs.

Then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran 1883 – 1931

Remember me with smiles not tears,
For all the joy through all the years.
Recall the closeness that was ours
A love as ‘sweet’ as fragrant flowers.

Don’t dwell on thoughts that cause you pain
We’ll see each other once again,
I am at peace… try to believe
It was my time… I had to leave.

But ‘what a view’ I have from here
I see your face, I feel you near,
I follow you throughout the day
You’pre not alone along the way.

And when God calls you… you will be
Right by my side… right here with me,
Till then, I’ll wait by Heaven’s door
We’ll be united… evermore!

Genie Graveline

Backpacking In Paradise

They have gone alone on a journey
To the most exotic faraway land
They’ll see crystal clear, vast seas
As they walk along soft golden sand

They can explore dense areas of forest
Abundant with magnificent plants and trees
Or stroll through a quaint picturesque village
Basking in the sights and the pleasant breeze

They might be feeling adventurous
And go climbing to majestic mountain tops
The view will be spectacularly awesome
Surrounded by the beauty that never stops

They might just want to sit and chat
Catching-up with a friend they have missed
Or, once again feel the loving embrace
Of a beloved, and be joyfully kissed

With no limits of health to stop them
And absolutely no chance of difficulty
They can do anything they desire or wish
Being their true selves and ultimately free

They took all they needed with them
Backpacking, they didn’t need much
Off-the-grid, but I don’t need to worry
As it seems, they may not keep in touch

I will lovingly think of them often, but continue
With my own life, knowing each and every day
They are experiencing an awesome adventure
Now young at heart, they can relax and play

One day I will put on my backpack
Filled with all my experiences and love
And I too will take the final journey
We will be re-united in Paradise above

Trina Graves 1961

Love Is Eternal

Our lives are blessed with loved ones
which makes it harder to bear
When they are taken from our sides
and are no longer there.

We miss their smile, their warmth, their love
and sink deeper into our grief.
We’re told that time will heal the pain
but still there is no relief.

At quiet times we may feel their presence
but pass it off with a rebuff.
We think that our minds are playing tricks
as if we’re not suffering enough.

The key to it all is an “open mind”
with this you’ll know the way.
If your mind is open you’re willing to be
ready to accept miracles each day.

Our loved ones are not that far away
although it can be hard to believe.
Just reach out with your thoughts and love
and be open for the gifts you’ll receive.

Love is eternal it never dies
When we pass, it’s all that we can take.
The love we share is never lost
The bond will never break

Trina Graves 1961

Many more Sympathy Poems
by Trina Graves

H Sympathy Poems

I have no fear of death, but I shall welcome a helping hand to see me through. For it is said that just as everyone has a Guardian Angel, so to each one comes somebody to help us over the stile.

Once I am over, I know a door will open on a new loveliness and freshness of colour, form and light which is far more beautiful than anything I have ever seen or imagined.

Oliver Hall

Do not shed tears when I have gone, but smile instead because I have lived. Do not shut your eyes and pray to God that I’ll come back, but open your eyes and see all that I have left behind. I know your heart will be empty because you cannot see me, but still I want you to be full of the love we shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live only for yesterday, or you can be happy for tomorrow because of what happened between us yesterday. You can remember me and grieve that I have gone, or you can cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and lose yourself, become distraught and turn your back on the world, or you can do what I want… smile, wipe away the tears, learn to love again and go on.

David Harkins 1958

Death Is Nothing At All

Death is nothing at all.
I have only slipped away into the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other
That we are still.

Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the easy way you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow
Laugh as we always laughed
At the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word it always was
Let it be spoken without effort
Without the ghost of a shadow on it.

Life means all that it ever meant
It is the same as it ever was
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
What is death but a negligible accident?
Why should I be out of mind
Because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval
Somewhere very near
Just around the corner.
All is well.
Nothing is past, nothing is lost.
One brief moment and all will be as it was before.
How we shall laugh at the trouble of parting
When we meet again.

Henry Scott Holland 1847 – 1918

K Sympathy Poems

Go on with what you are doing. Work faithfully in my vineyard, and I shall be your reward. Write, read and sing; lament your sins, keep silence, pray; bravely endure all that you find hard to bear – eternal life is worth all these and greater struggles too.

Peace will come to you on a day which is already known to the Lord, and for them there will be no day or night such as you know on this Earth, but perpetual light, splendour without end, peace that cannot be broken, calm that holds no fear.

You will not then say, “Who is to set me free from a nature thus doomed to death?” nor will you cry, “Unhappy I, that live in exhile,” for death shall be engulfed, and salvation be complete.. Then there will be no fear, but blessed joy and sweet companionship, full of pure delight.

Thomas Kempis 1379 – 1471

L Sympathy Poems

For death is but a passing phase of life;
A change of dress, a disrobing
A birth into the unborn again
A commencing where we ended
A starting where we stopped to rest
A crossroad of eternity
A giving up of something to posses all things
The end of the unreal
The beginning of the real.

Edwin Leibfreed

When life’s summer grows to winter
And it’s roses fade and fall.
When in vain we try to hinder
Death’s commissioned right to all.
When on white lips there’s a last kiss
And we see her face no more.
Then it is to know what love is
Waiting on a foreign shore.

Edwin Leibfreed

R Sympathy Poems

When I am gone, release me, let me go
I have so many things to see and do
You must not tie yourself to me with tears
Be happy that I have had so many years

I gave you my love, you can only guess
How much you gave me in happiness
I think you for the love each have shown
But now it is time I travelled on alone

So grieve a while for me, if grieve you must
Then let your grief be comforted by trust
It is only for a while that we must part
So bless the memories in your heart

I will not be far away, for life goes on
So if you need me, call and I will come
Though you can not see or touch me, I will be near
And if you listen with your heart, you will hear
All of my love around you soft and clear

Then, when you must come this way alone
I will greet you with a smile and a
“Welcome Home”

Mary Alice Ramish

I feel your pain and long to touch the hurt and make it melt away. Yes, I know that I can’t really see the breadth and depth of this dark valley you’re in. I can’t truly know just how sharp the knife is in your Soul, for it is you in it’s path, not me.

But I have known other valleys and in my heart still bear knife wound scars. Even so, I would walk your road and take your pain if I could. I cannot, and yet, perhaps in some way, I can be a hand to hold in the darkness. In some way, try to blunt the sharpness of pain. But if not, it may help a little, just to know I care.

Christine Rigden

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 for long
And not with your head bowed low
Remember the love that once we shared
Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take
And each must go alone
It’s all part of the master plan
A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart
Go to the friends we know
Laugh at all the things we used to do
Miss me, but let me go.

Christina Rossetti 1830 – 1894

T Sympathy Poems

There is a state unknown, unseen
Where parted Souls must be
And but a step may be between
That world of Souls and me

The friend I loves has thither fled
With whom I sojourned here
I see no sight – I hear no tread
But may she not be near?

Jesus was rapt from mortal gaze
And clouds conveyed him hence
Enthroned amid the sapphire blaze
Beyond our feeble sense

Yet say not – who shall mount on high
To bring him from above?
For lo! The Lord is always nigh
The children of his love

The Saviour whom I long have sought
And would, but cannot see
And is he here? O wondrous thought!
And will he dwell with me?

I ask not with my mortal eye
To view the vision bright
I dare not see Thee, lest I die
Yet Lord, restore my sight!

Give me to Thee, and to feel
The mental vision clear
The things unseen reveal, reveal!
And let me know them near

I seek not fancy’s glittering height
That charmed my ardent youth
But in thy light would see the light
And learn thy perfect truth

The gathering clouds of sense dispel
That wraps my Soul around
In heavenly places make me dwell
While treading earthly ground

Illume this shadowy Soul of mine
That still in darkness lies
O let the light in darkness shine
And bid the day-star rise!

Impart the faith that soars on high
Beyond this earthly strife
That holds sweet converse with the sky
And lives Eternal Life!

Jane Taylor 1783 – 1824

Sympathy Poems – unknown source
Inspirational Sympathy Poems by Trina Graves
Death Quotes
Death Sayings
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