Famous Poems Titled "Remember Me"

بِسۡمِ ٱللهِ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ

In the name of ALLAH, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Famous Poems Titled "Remember Me"

There are at least four funeral poems with the same title: 'Remember Me'. All of them are among the most loved and frequently chosen readings for a memorial service of the dead Christians in the West. All of them are touching poems, reflecting on loss and the emotional journey we go through after losing someone in our lives. It must be remembered that we all have to go the same route sooner or later as death is the ultimate reality in immortal world.

These poems explore mortality and remembrance, emphasizing that individuals are remembered not for grand achievements but for the way they touched others' lives. The poets highlighted the importance of human connection, kindness, and the love shared with others as the true markers of one's existence.

The central theme of the poems "Remember Me" is the persistence of love and memory after death. It challenges the traditional mourning narrative, proposing instead that remembering a loved one should involve celebrating the happiness and love they brought into the world.

These poems portray poet's hope for an enduring, ever-lasting love and their final request to be remembered. With its heartfelt plea to remember but carry on, these touching poems are a welcome addition to a celebration of life or funeral service. It speaks to the enduring impact one life can have on others, a fitting homage to a dearly departed family member.

O ALLAH; Our Almighty God! we rejoice in your promise of love, joy and peace. O ALLAH; Our Almighty God! through your mercy; turn the darkness of death into the dawn of new life; a life of success, and the sorrow of parting of our loved ones into the joy of heaven; through our Saviour our Holy Prophet (PBUH). Amen. In the following; all the above said four poems "Remember Me" are being presented in the order of their publication. 

Christina Georgina (1830–1894) was an was an English poet and writer of romantic, devotional and children's poems. She was a sister of the artist and poet Dante Gabriel Rossetti and features in several of his paintings. Let's now read the poem:- 

Remember Me by Christina Rossetti

When I come to the end of the road

And the sun has set for me

I want no rites in a gloom filled room

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little, but not for long

And not with your head bowed low

Remember the love that once we shared

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take

And each must go alone.

It’s all part of the master plan

A step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick at heart

Go to the friends we know.

Laugh at all the things we used to do

Miss me, but let me go.

The poem is written from the point of view of a person who is either dead or dying. They are speaking to their lover: issuing a series of instructions about how they want to be remembered. In the first four lines the lover is told they must remember what they shared when the speaker is dead: gone to the 'silent land' where both physical touch and returning (coming back to life) are impossible.

The next four lines are about a cherished vision of their future together: something that was frequently talked about and planned for. Again, the lover is instructed to remember and to fully comprehend (understand) what has been destroyed by death. No amount praying or advice will alter that fact. It's too late. Dead is dead.

The last six lines reveal a change of heart, a shifting of perspective. The speaker is no longer demanding their lover keep their shared love alive by making its memory the focus of all their thoughts and feelings. Instead, they are given permission to forgive themselves if they 'forget' because remembering, living in the past, will only bring pain. Despite the bitterness of dying, the speaker wants their lover to 'smile': to go on to have a full and happy life.

Margaret Mead (1901-1978) is an American cultural anthropologist, author and speaker, who appeared frequently in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s. Margaret Mead is best known for her studies of the nonliterate peoples of Oceania, especially with regard to various aspects of psychology and culture, including the cultural conditioning of sexual behavior, natural character, and culture change. Let's now read the poem:-

Remember Me by Margaret Mead

To the living, I am gone,

To the sorrowful, I will never return,

To the angry, I was cheated,

But to the happy, I am at peace,

And to the faithful, I have never left.

I cannot speak, but I can listen.

I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.

So as you stand upon a shore gazing at a beautiful sea,

As you look upon a flower and admire its simplicity,

Remember me.

Remember me in your heart:

Your thoughts, and your memories,

Of the times we loved,

The times we cried,

The times we fought,

The times we laughed.

For if you always think of me, I will never have gone.

The first part of the poem is a reflection on the many ways people view death. Each example the poet uses is an extension, or projection, of an individual's core beliefs and attitudes. For instance, someone who is generally angry will feel anger on behalf of the person who's died, because they assume they'll feel cheated. After all, they've had their life cut short or stolen. In the line immediately following the five differing perspectives on death, the speaker introduces their own: 'I cannot be seen, but I can be heard.' 

In the next section the speaker links themselves with the beauty of the natural landscape: the sea, the beach, the forest, a flower, by telling people to 'remember me' as they pause to admire it. The last part tells people what to remember while they pause: the good, the difficult...all of it. The conclusion affirms the speaker's belief that if people continue to think about them, they are still present in their lives.

The repetition of phrases: 'to the...' in the first section, 'remember me' and 'the times we...', as well as the word 'your', in the last two sections, emphasize the significance of the speaker's message. The poem offers hope and comfort. Death, it says, is not final. Life, including that of someone who has died, carries on.

Poet Anthony Dowson... The poem is written by a poet about whom less is known; and not much info is available.

Speak of me as you have always done.

Remember the good times, laughter, and fun.

Share the happy memories we've made.

Do not let them wither or fade.

I'll be with you in the summer's sun

And when the winter's chill has come.

I'll be the voice that whispers in the breeze.

I'm peaceful now, put your mind at ease.

I've rested my eyes and gone to sleep,

But memories we've shared are yours to keep.

Sometimes our final days may be a test,

But remember me when I was at my best.

Although things may not be the same,

Don't be afraid to use my name.

Let your sorrow last for just a while.

Comfort each other and try to smile.

I've lived a life filled with joy and fun.

Live on now, make me proud of what you'll become.

Like the two preceding 'Remember Me' poems, this too is written from the perspective of the person who has died and speaks directly to those who mourn for them. The poet tells them to continue to talk about them, to share their stories, and to not let them go, ('wither or fade').

Like the Margaret Mead 'Remember Me', this poem also promises the deceased will be with those who love and miss them in nature, emphasizing they'll be present regardless of the season, 'summer through to winter', i.e., all the time. The bereaved are assured that the speaker is now at peace. They say whatever miseries were present in their final days have gone and ask to be remembered when they were well, happy and enjoying life.

The poem acknowledges the grief of those who love them, the gap left by the deceased and how different their lives will be. Despite that, the speaker wants their loved ones to work through their sadness, to comfort each other and then move on to become the best version of themselves they can be. 

"Remember Me", written in 1982 by English painter and poet David Harkins (born 14 November 1958). The verse – sometimes also known as "She Is Gone" – has often been given an anonymous attribution, but Harkins claimed his original authorship after it was chosen by Queen Elizabeth II as part of the funeral ceremony for her mother, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, in April 2002. It has subsequently become a popular choice to be read at funeral ceremonies, although according to Harkins it was originally written about unrequited love, rather than death. Let's read the original poem in the following:-

Remember Me by David Harkins

Do not shed tears when I have gone but smile instead because I have lived.

Do not shut your eyes and pray to God that I'll come back but open your eyes and see all that I have left behind.

I know your heart will be empty because you cannot see me but still, I want you to be full of the love we shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live only for yesterday or you can be happy for tomorrow because of what happened between us yesterday.

You can remember me and grieve that I have gone, or you can cherish my memory and let it live on.

You can cry and lose yourself, become distraught and turn your back on the world or you can do what I want - Smile, wipe away the tears, learn to love again and go on.

This 'Remember Me' poem by David Harkins is made up of a series of choices, or actions, the poet (the deceased) is telling or asking those who love them to make. While acknowledging the grief and sadness they feel, they're being encouraged to look beyond it, to see and feel gratitude for the richness, love and happiness they shared in each other's company. 

They are to use that legacy as a foundation to build a new life on: one made sweeter and fuller through having known and loved the person who has died. Remaining stuck, paralyzed by the misery of loss, is not what the speaker wants. They are to get on and live!

Poem 'Remember Me' becomes 'She Is Gone'

You can shed tears that she is gone,

Or you can smile because she has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that she will come back,

Or you can open your eyes and see all that she has left.

Your heart can be empty because you can’t see her,

Or you can be full of the love that you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,

Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember her and only that she is gone,

Or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back,

Or you can do what she would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

Note: This write up has been arranged with the help of material available on Free Web Net.