Funerals can truly be augmented by a poem that is apt and fitting for the person you have just lost. The following list of funeral poems about books are perfect for those who shared a passion for literature, or who worked in a literary setting during their life.
Always Been A Reader
by Mark Gregory
I have always been a reader
a devourer of print
I have loved the musty smell of libraries
the heft of a book in my hand
the sound of pages turning
the sight of words under a flashlight
in the dark.
I have always needed
the solace of stories
the companionship of characters
the escape of other worlds
the wisdom of words
the guidance of good writing.
I have always been a reader
and I will always be one
even when I am no longer here
my books will live on
carrying me in their hearts
just as I have carried them
in mine.
The Last Book
by Mark Gregory
After reading it, I sat down
in the garden and looked around
at the green grass and the spiky
flowers and the white clouds
riding high, and I thought,
It’s all a miracle.
And then I thought, Everything
is a miracle, even the toad
that lives under the lilac bush,
even the nasty-tempered robin
that steals the food from the other birds,
even the little lump of clay
that I, in my clumsy way,
will shape into a pot
to hold some wildflowers,
even the wind
that scatters the leaves and the seeds
and the tiny pebbles, even
the rain that falls, even the sun
that makes everything grow.
And then I thought, I am a part
of all this, and I felt
a great happiness,
and I opened the book again
and began to read.
The Library
by Mark Gregory
A place of work where people do
As if about to do: concentrates
The reader’s face, lift up the lamp
To look for something in the book, and turn
The page, and then read on and lift it up
Again. It is not the only place
Where people do this, but it is the best.
I used to like to come and see them
When I was young, and that was how I knew
That when they looked so hard and long
They found what they were looking for.
I think they did. The place was very quiet,
But not too quiet. It was a heaven house
The books were there, and so were people who
Loved reading them, and that is all that matters.
Roads Go Ever On
by J. R. R. Tolkien
Roads go ever ever on,
Over rock and under tree,
By caves where never sun has shone,
By streams that never find the sea;
Over snow by winter sown,
And through the merry flowers of June,
Over grass and over stone,
And under mountains in the moon.
Roads go ever ever on
Under cloud and under star,
Yet feet that wandering have gone
Turn at last to home afar.
Eyes that fire and sword have seen
And horror in the halls of stone
Look at last on meadows green
And trees and hills they long have known.
The Road goes ever on and on,
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.
The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.
Sitting In An Armchair
by Mark Gregory
She is sitting in an armchair,
the kind that envelops you
when you sink into it,
lost in a book
that is taking her someplace
far from this room,
someplace beyond the reach
of the late afternoon sun
that is streaming through the window,
beyond the reach of this house
and the row of houses next to it,
beyond the streets and the towns
and the fields that surround them.
She is in the presence of a story
that is lifting her out of her life
and carrying her off
to a place where the air is clear
and the sun is always shining,
to a place where the characters
are larger than life
and their passions run deep,
to a place where she is free
to lose herself
in the company of words.
There Is No Frigate Like A Book
by Emily Dickinson
There is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,
Nor any coursers like a page
Of prancing poetry.
This traverse may the poorest take
Without oppress of toll;
How frugal is the chariot
That bears a human soul!
To access our full list of funeral poems, click here.
All poems featured on this website are free to use during any ceremony, although it is good practice to make sure the author is mentioned, if known. Should you require a celebrant for your ceremony, be it a funeral, a wedding, a naming ceremony or something else, feel free to get in touch. I am a double award-nominated Family and Funeral Celebrant covering the entire UK, and would be happy to help you commemorate in a meaningful and personal way.
