Funeral Poems & Readings

Death The Leveller

A funeral poem for comfort during unsettling times

Print

Death The Leveller

The glories of our blood and state
Are shadows, not substantial things;
There is no armour against fate;
Death lays his icy hand on kings:
Sceptre and Crown
Must tumble down,
And in the dust be equal made
With the poor crooked scythe and spade.
Some men with swords may reap the field,
And plant fresh laurels where they kill:
But their strong nerves at last must yield;
They tame but one another still:
Early or late
They stoop to fate,
And must give up their murmuring breath
When they, pale captives, creep to death.
The garlands wither on your brow;
Then boast no more your mighty deeds;
Upon Death’s purple altar now
See where the victor-victim bleeds:
Your heads must come
To the cold tomb;
Only the actions of the just
Smell sweet, and blossom in their dust.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
Email
Print

Funeral Shop

Keeping the memory alive. See our high-quality range of funeral products and jewellery including urns, ash pendants, keepsakes, candle holders, bracelets, rings and more.

More Funeral Poems

Farewell, Sweet Dust

Now I have lost you, I must scatter All of you on the air henceforth; Not that to me it can ever matter But it‘s ...
Read Full Poem →

I Carry Your Heart

I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart) I am never without it (anywhere I go you go, my dear; and whatever is ...
Read Full Poem →

The Song Of The Soul

Oh to be naked! My body? Yes, if need be. My Soul, more than all else. To be as I am. As small or as ...
Read Full Poem →

Don’t Cry For Me Today

Don’t cry for me today, I wouldn’t want it this way. Be strong and smile, for you will see me in a while. I know ...
Read Full Poem →

If Only You Could Have Stayed

Constantly thinking, never to be the same. The tears fall quickly just hearing your name. Silence is golden, yet not anymore. Silence brings thoughts I ...
Read Full Poem →

Missing You, Nan

The years will always roll on by and time will always pass, but every memory I have of you will definitely always last. I like ...
Read Full Poem →

The Lord’s my Shepherd – Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. ...
Read Full Poem →

Not, How Did He Die, But How Did He Live?

Not, how did he die, but how did he live? Not, what did he gain, but what did he give? These are the units to ...
Read Full Poem →

Birthday Wishes To My Son In Heaven

If I could have one wish in life, That wish would have to be That God would take away my pain And send you back ...
Read Full Poem →

Greenwood Cemetery

How calm they sleep beneath the shade Who once were weary of the strife, And bent, like us, beneath the load Of human life! The willow ...
Read Full Poem →

Like As the Waves Make Towards the Pebbled Shore

Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end, Each changing place with that which goes before, ...
Read Full Poem →

Precious Memory

The rain may wash my pain away The wind may dry my tears The Summer sun may heal my heart And time subdue my fears ...
Read Full Poem →

Half Of My Heart Is Gone

Son, I wish I could wake up and see you standing there. Then I would know that it was just a nightmare. Son, I remember ...
Read Full Poem →

Turn Again To Life

If I should die and leave you here a while, Be not like others sore undone, Who keep long vigil by the silent dust. For ...
Read Full Poem →

Fare Thee Well

“Fare thee well! and if forever, Still forever, fare _thee well_, Even though unforgiving, never ‘Gainst thee shall my heart rebel. Yet, O, yet thyself deceive ...
Read Full Poem →