Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye
I am not there. I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush
Of quiet birds in circled flight.
I am the soft stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry;
I am not there. I did not die.
Analysis of Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep by Mary Elizabeth Frye
The poem, "Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep', contains twelve lines, which vividly dramatize a dialogue scene between the poet persona and someone who is bereaved.
The poet persona, who is quite unnoticed by the grieving person, advises the bereaved not to conclusively see or think of death as a permanent separation from him, the bereaved.
To the poet persona, his physical body might not be present, but the memories of the things in the past which they both share can be felt as well as experienced through myriad things which the natural world present.
The poet persona forges ahead to provide a complete list of things which can regular things that lovely connect them together.
These natural things, accordingly, are: wind, snow, sunlight, rain, birds, stars.
Line 1: Do not stand at my grave and weep.
The poem begins distinctly with the poet persona telling the bereaved, who is standing at the grave, not to weep. Of course, the poet persona clearly understands the emotional weight of losing a loved one.
Thus, his statement is entirely a request and not a command to the bereaved. To the poet persona, death is absolutely inevitable, and the bereaved should also understand such fact.
The poet persona wants the bereaved or grieving person to carefully reflect on their past shared moment, which is engulfed with happiness; hence, "Do not stand at my grave and weep".
Line 2: "I am not there, I do not sleep:"
The ostensible reason for the bereaved not to weep at the grave is unveiled in line 2: I am not there. The poet persona discloses this because the bereaved is totally oblivious of his poet persona’s location.
The bereaved sees death as something that chains its victim in a particular spot. For instance, grave. But the dead are not in the grave except their physical bodies.
Their souls have gone to their makers, leaving the empty body in the grave. Sleep most often is equated with death due to the fact that people who are sleeping are usually unconscious of what is actually happening around them.
The poet persona therefore informs the bereaved that I do not sleep, but knows whoever comes to his grave.
Line 3: "I am a thousand winds blow:"
The poet persona reveals to the bereaved that though he might not be seen, but the winds hold strong remembrance of the past days they both share together.
The poet persona’s statement, I am a thousand winds that blows, is a comparison to:
1. Invisibility: Though the wind cannot be seen, it can be felt.
2. Movement: Wind moves very fast and spreads across the earth. By the movement of the winds, they are clearly felt everywhere.
The poet persona also compares himself to wind, which is felt.
Line 4: "I am the diamond glint of snow:" Here, the memorable days of the poet persona and the bereaved are being conjured up and straight away compared as snow.
For this reason, the poet persona explains that the relationship brightens like the flashes when light falls on snow, and emanating reflection.
Diamond is additionally mentioned by the poet persona to emphasize how precious their bond of relationship is.
Line 5, from line 5 to 11:
There are use of words such as:
"I am the sunlight on ripened grain" -- line 5.
"I am the gentle autumn rain" -- line 6.
"When you are waking in the morning hush" -- line 7.
"I am the swift, uplifting rush" -- line 8.
"Of quiet birds in circled line" -- line 9.
"I am the soft stars that shine at night" -- line 10.
"Do not stand at my grave and cry" -- line 11.
The poet persona employs metaphorical statement to prove to the bereaved that despite the fact that death might have swallowed him, but he is still alive.
The poet persona therefore lists things which brings memory of the past. The poet persona strongly believe that if death cannot kill his memorable days with the bereaved, hence the need for the bereaved to stop weeping on his grave, because stars, rain, sunlight, among others, are what connect them emotionally together.
In line 11 and 12, the poet persona reiterates that the bereaved should not weep at his grave because "I am not there, I did not die."
Even though the bereaved is greatly sorrowful about his loss, the poet persona keeps repeatedly telling the bereaved that the moment to move on in life without him, the poet persona, has come.
Though it seems that is the end of all creatures that exist, but the poet persona is much certain that "I am not there" -- His soul has gone to stay with his Maker.
"I did not die" -- since his existence is much active and can be felt by the bereaved; hence he is not dead.
0 Comments