Do you see here the allusion to the body which has grown cold, and to the soul which is eternally bright? Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep: analysis of lines 5 and 6

So there’s a juxtaposition here between the bright cheer of light and the coldness of snow. Now ask yourself where this light is coming off of? The answer is snow, which is icy and cold.

Light is that which provides us with warmth, and in a sense is eternal. We associate light with the sun, the sky, with heaven. So it’s as if the person now dead in that grave still breathes. The word spirit is the Latin word for breath. Consider that the wind is often associated with a person’s soul. It’s best to see these words as metaphors. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep: analysis of lines 3 and 4 In that case, is just being told that the person is not really there in that lifeless body comforting? We’ll address both questions again, further down. We’re not necessarily weeping for the person in the grave, but instead, we are weeping for ourselves.

Often, the person we weep for is ourselves. One, do you believe the message? Two, are you weeping for the person in the grave or are you weeping at your own loss?įor now, let’s just address the second question. There are two immediate issues to consider here. You are told that the person you weep for isn’t even there in that lifeless body. Now, in all this, you are told not to be sad. You are missing this person, and you are deeply disturbed. You would know that their body has gone cold. You would perhaps be standing there at their grave, and you would know that, that person’s body is there in front of you, being buried. You would be feeling the loss of a person you deeply cared for. If you were the intended audience of this poem, how would this message impact you? Consider the situation. Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep: analysis of lines 1 and 2 We hope in this way, the true meaning of Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep will emerge. In this analysis, we intend to take the poem two lines at a time and analyze each of these couplets for their metaphors and meaning. Now let’s start our analysis!ĭo Not Stand at My Grave and Weep: line by line analysis Whether you’ve read the poem, or simply have heard the song and love the lyrics to Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep, we hope to show you that the poem is not only beautiful but full of meaning. Are you looking for a Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep analysis? We have one for you.

Do not stand at my grave and weep waves