How to Use Eulogy Poems

How to Include Eulogy Poems in Your Funeral Speech

Poetry has always been a favored way to express emotion through words. Throughout history, people have been writing poetry to talk about people who have died, whether they are speaking literally or figuratively. Eulogy poems, often called elegies, are poems that speak of the dead. They can be written in many different formats and styles, and were the favored form of tribute to the deceased for much of history.

Today, eulogy poems are not as popular as they once were, but they are still used within a larger eulogy to express emotion. Often, these poems are not original poems written for the occasion, but instead quoted poems that enhance a eulogy that is written specifically for an individual. Some people choose to write their own poems if they have talent in that arena, but this is seen less and less in eulogies.

Most eulogy poems are quoted because of their relation to the deceased or their relationship to dying itself. Many poems about dying are bleak and dismal, which would leave them ill-suited to a eulogy which is a celebration of the life of an individual. Other poems that are included can be favorite poems of the deceased – if he or she was an Emily Dickinson fan, for example, you may wish to include one of her poems.

One of the eulogy poems that seems to give the most comfort to mourners and is used frequently in eulogies is “Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep” by Mary Elizabeth Frye. This poem is one that can create a sense of solace in mourners:

“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!)”

Whether or not you choose to include eulogy poems in your eulogy is up to your taste and that of your friends and family – especially the deceased. If you want to sum up emotion in a few words, however, you can do so with this sort of poem.

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