Funeral Readings, Poems and Quotes

A collection of funeral readings, poems and short quotes that are free to print in an order of service, from Christina Rossetti and Tennyson to Banjo Paterson and Psalm 23, with tips on choosing one and reading it aloud.

By Chris K, reviewed by Kate B · Last updated 5 October 2026 · Editorial standards

Key points

The best reading is one that sounds like the person, or says what the family feels.
Older poems by writers who died before 1955 are generally out of copyright in Australia and free to print.
Many popular modern funeral poems are still under copyright, so check before printing them.
A reading of one to two minutes is plenty; a few lines can be enough.
Practise reading it aloud slowly, and print it in large type.

A reading gives voice to something that's hard to say in your own words. It might be a poem the person loved, a passage from their faith, or a few lines that say exactly what the family feels. This page collects readings, poems and short quotes that are free to print in an order of service, with a note on copyright and some tips for reading one aloud.

How Do You Choose a Funeral Reading?

Choose a reading that sounds like the person, or that says what the family feels. There's no right or wrong choice, and the most fitting reading is often a surprise.

A few questions help:

Did they have a favourite poem, hymn or book? Look through their bookshelf, or ask the people who knew them best.
What was their faith, if any? A Bible reading may matter deeply to some families and feel out of place for others.
What tone suits the service? Some readings are comforting, some are hopeful, some are gently funny.
Who's reading it? A grandchild might suit a short, simple poem. A confident reader can take on something longer.

You can also use a reading the person wrote themselves, a letter, the lyrics of a favourite song read as a poem, or a few lines from a family member.

Who Usually Reads at a Funeral?

Who usually reads at a funeral? Often a grandchild, a close friend or a family member who doesn't want to give the eulogy but would like to take part. The celebrant or minister can also read on the family's behalf.

Giving someone a reading is a kind way to include them. It's a smaller, more structured role than the eulogy, and many people find it easier to read someone else's words than their own.

How Long Should a Reading Be?

How long should a funeral reading be? One to two minutes is usually plenty. A short poem or a few verses is enough, and it's better to read a short piece slowly than a long one in a rush.

Most services have two or three readings at most. If you've found several you love, print the others in the order of service for people to read later. Our order of service template shows where readings usually sit in the running order.

Which Readings Are Free to Print?

Can I print any poem in a funeral order of service? Not always. In Australia, writing by an author who died before 1955 is generally out of copyright and free to print. Many modern poems are still under copyright, so check with the publisher or rights holder before printing them.

Every poem and passage printed in full on this page is by a writer who died well before 1955, so it's free to print. Each one has the writer's name and dates so you can see why. The same applies to older translations, such as the King James Version of the Bible from 1611. Modern translations of the Bible, and of poets like Rumi, are usually still under copyright, so check the publisher's rules before printing long passages.

Classic Poems for a Funeral

"Remember" by Christina Rossetti (1830 to 1894)

One of the most loved funeral poems, and a gentle permission to keep living. About one minute to read.

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you plann'd:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad.

"Crossing the Bar" by Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809 to 1892)

A calm, hopeful poem about the end of a voyage. It suits someone who loved the sea, or a family of faith. About one minute.

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea,

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep
Turns again home.

Twilight and evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;

For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

"Requiem" by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850 to 1894)

Only eight lines. A good choice for someone who loved the outdoors, or for a reader who'd like something short.

Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me lie.
Glad did I live and gladly die,
And I laid me down with a will.

This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

For a woman, many families read the second verse as "Here she lies where she longed to be".

"Death is nothing at all" by Henry Scott Holland (1847 to 1918)

Adapted from a sermon Holland gave in 1910, this is now one of the most requested funeral readings. The popular version below is an extract, and the wording varies a little between printings.

Death is nothing at all. I have only slipped away into the next room. I am I, and you are you. Whatever we were to each other, that we still are. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow. Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.

"Death, be not proud" by John Donne (1572 to 1631)

A defiant poem for a family of faith. The opening and closing lines are often read on their own.

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

...

One short sleep past, we wake eternally
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

"No coward soul is mine" by Emily Brontë (1818 to 1848)

The first verse of a poem about courage and faith, for someone who faced illness or hardship bravely.

No coward soul is mine,
No trembler in the world's storm-troubled sphere:
I see Heaven's glories shine,
And faith shines equal, arming me from fear.

Australian Poems

From "Clancy of the Overflow" by A. B. "Banjo" Paterson (1864 to 1941)

A verse from the poem's picture of Clancy's life droving in the bush. A fitting choice for someone who loved the country, droving, or wide open spaces.

And the bush hath friends to meet him, and their kindly voices greet him
In the murmur of the breezes and the river on its bars,
And he sees the vistas splendid of the sunlit plains extended,
And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

Paterson and Henry Lawson (1867 to 1922) wrote a great deal about the bush, mateship and hard work, and both are out of copyright. If the person loved Australian verse, a library or second-hand bookshop collection of either is a good place to look for something that fits.

Bible Readings

These passages are from the King James Version (1611). If the person's church uses a different translation, the minister can tell you which one they'd like read.

Psalm 23

The most widely read passage at Christian funerals. About one minute.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 to 8

Often chosen for non-religious services too, because it speaks to the seasons of a whole life.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Other passages often read at Christian funerals include John 14:1 to 6 ("In my Father's house are many mansions") and 1 Corinthians 13 ("Love is patient, love is kind" in modern translations, or "charity suffereth long, and is kind" in the King James Version).

Short Quotes for an Order of Service or Tribute

A short quote works well on the front or back of an order of service, on a memorial card, or as a caption in a tribute slideshow.

"Give sorrow words: the grief that does not speak / Whispers the o'er-fraught heart and bids it break." William Shakespeare, Macbeth (1564 to 1616)
"For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?" Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet (1883 to 1931)
"You would know the secret of death. But how shall you find it unless you seek it in the heart of life?" Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet
"Home is the sailor, home from sea, / And the hunter home from the hill." Robert Louis Stevenson
"Better by far you should forget and smile / Than that you should remember and be sad." Christina Rossetti

And a few simple lines written for this guide, free for anyone to use:

"Loved always. Missed every day."
"Your kettle's on. Your chair's still warm. You're with us still."
"Gone from our sight, but never from our table."

Popular Poems That Are Still Under Copyright

Some of the best-known funeral poems are recent enough to still be under copyright. You'll see them read at funerals often, but we can't print them here, and you may need permission to print them in an order of service, show them on screen, or share them online.

"Do Not Stand at My Grave and Weep." Usually credited to Mary Elizabeth Frye, who wrote it in 1932 and died in 2004. Its copyright status isn't straightforward, so it's safest to check before printing it.
"Funeral Blues" ("Stop all the clocks") by W. H. Auden, who died in 1973.
"My Country" ("I love a sunburnt country") by Dorothea Mackellar, who died in 1968.
"She Is Gone" ("You can shed tears that she is gone") by David Harkins.
"The Dash" by Linda Ellis.

If you'd like to use one of these, your celebrant or funeral director may know how other families have handled it, and the book or website you found it in will usually name the publisher to ask.

Tips for Reading Aloud at a Funeral

Read it aloud at home at least twice, including once to someone else.
Print it in large type, 16 to 18 point, even if you know it well.
Slow down. Most people read faster when they're nervous. Pause at the end of each line or verse.
Practise any unfamiliar words, such as "bourne" in "Crossing the Bar" (most people say it like "born").
Say what it is first. "This is 'Remember' by Christina Rossetti. It was one of Mum's favourites."
It's fine to cry. Pause, breathe, and carry on when you're ready. Nobody minds.

If you're also writing the eulogy, our guide on how to write a eulogy has a simple structure and a free template, and it's often easier to choose the readings once the eulogy has taken shape. For a service without religious readings, our guide to non-religious funeral ideas has more suggestions.

Music as a Reading

Sometimes a song says it better than any poem. Some families play a song in place of a reading, or have someone read the lyrics aloud. Our guide to songs for a funeral slideshow has ideas for choosing music, and explains why it's worth checking copyright if a recording of the service will be shared online.

Looking After Yourself

Choosing readings often means sitting with the person's favourite books and words, which can be a comfort and can also be very hard. If you or someone close to you is struggling, our page on grief support in Australia lists free services you can call.

For everything else that needs to happen before the service, our step-by-step guide to planning a funeral in Australia walks through it in order.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a good short poem for a funeral? Christina Rossetti's "Remember" and Tennyson's "Crossing the Bar" are two of the most loved, and each takes about a minute to read. Robert Louis Stevenson's "Requiem" is only eight lines and suits someone who loved the outdoors.