Infinite Life--Analysis of "Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye

"Do Not Stand At My Grave And Weep" by Mary Elizabeth Frye

Do not stand at my grave and weep

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.

                                                                                 ~~~

In Mary Elizabeth Frye’s poem, I believe the main message she conveys is that life is not something that starts and ends, but is something that is recycled. In other words, nothing can ever truly die. In this poem, we see the image of a familiar scene: a loved one has passed away and those that know him or her mourn their loss. However, the speaker tells the mourner not to cry at the sight of the grave, for the life was never taken from them. Instead, the life that left the speaker’s human form has been recycled to continue to live on the earth in different forms.

I also see how Frye could want the reader to see how there is life in everything that we come across, no matter how insignificant. Even the light reflecting off snow (4) and the hushed sound of birds passing over (8-9) are forms of life. I think this is important because we as humans learn that something “lives” when we observe it move, breathe, or grow. However, all the items listed in Frye’s poem that the speaker claims to be move, breathe, and grow in their own way. After all, we can observe of the ‘movement’ of the “gentle autumn rain” (6), the ‘breath’ of the “morning’s hush” (7), and the ‘growth’ of light in the “soft stars that shine at night” (10).

Finally, I can also see how Frye may want the reader to see how wasteful it is to want to dwell on things. The speaker advises the mourner not to stand around at the grave to only waste time with tears, since the speaker claims that they are not even present at the grave. Perhaps Frye wants people to see how time would be better spent if it were used to observe all the beautiful things in nature that are filled with life. A grave has a very stagnant connotation compared to all the other items Frye lists—while yes, there is stillness at a grave-site, the stillness feels more like something inactive or inert. The other items in the poem have a feeling of motion and animation compared to a grave. A grave even symbolizes death, and everything the speaker tells the mourner in the poem seems to be pleading for them to distance themselves from death. To die means a permanent “sleep” (2) to the speaker. Thus, we should all strive to be wakeful in this infinite lifespan that we have.