Monday, March 10, 2008

A Perfect 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 cry.
I am not there; I did not die.

Found at akullnaja's blog. My Albanian isn't good enough to translate the whole blog but I think the poem is attributed to Steven Cummins. If anyone knows better, please let me know.

The Universe always sends exactly the right stuff to us at the perfect moment... we just have to be Aware. Thank You.

3 comments:

akullnaja said...

hi Kim,
glad you found the poem appealing. here it's a short story about the authorship of the poem (two others I found over Internet were saying the same...) :

Written at least 50 years ago, this poem has been attributed at different times to J.T. Wiggins (an English emigre to America), and also Mary E. Frye, Melinda Sue Pacho and Marianne Reinhardt.

It also became very famous after a British soldier, Stephen Cummins, was killed in Northern Ireland and left a copy for his relatives. Others claim it is a Navajo burial prayer.

an essay on the authorship: who did write the nations favourite poem?

Ginnie Hart said...

So absolutely and perfectly said, Kim! Never have Donica and I been so overwhelmed by the Universe's Orchestration of events these last 5 weeks.

Rositta said...

Reading this poem again made me cry. My son used this as part of his eulogy for my Mom last year. It is beautiful...ciao