The Prophet

Short funeral poem by Khalil Gibran about what it means to die. A short verse with a powerful message for a loved one’s funeral.

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.

Share:

More Poems

She Is Gone (He Is Gone)

Popular funeral poem based on a short verse by David Harkins. An uplifting poem about being grateful for a loved one’s life.

Untitled Poem To A Lost Love

A moving funeral poem by Thomas Moore about mourning for a lost loved one, suitable for religious or non-religious services.

Fidele

Funeral poem taken from William Shakespeare’s play ‘Cymbeline’, about a loved one finding peace in the afterlife.

A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning

The most famous of the ‘metaphysical’ poets, John Donne wrote this poem in 1611, after leaving his wife to travel to the continent. The poem