Fare Thee Well

This extract from a longer poem, written in the 19th century by George Gordon, Lord Byron, is a popular choice for funerals. The mood of the poem is anguished because the narrator knows that they will never meet his love again, but reassures them that nothing can diminish their love.

“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 not;
Love may sink by slow decay,
But by sudden wrench, believe not,
Hearts can thus be torn away.
Still thine own its life retaineth,
Still must mine, though bleeding, beat,
And the undying thought which paineth,
Is, that we no more may meet.”

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