A Thousand Winds

Sung in Japanese "Sen no Kaze" by Masafumi Akikawa on the 2007 edition of Kohaku Utagassen to music written by Mitsuru Arai.

A Thousand Winds
by Mary Elizabeth Frye (1905-2004)

Do not stand at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am in a thousand winds that blow,
I am the softly falling snow.
I am the gentle showers of rain,
I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,
I am in the graceful rush
Of beautiful birds in circling flight,
I am the starshine of the night.
I am in the flowers that bloom,
I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,
I am in each lovely thing.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there. I did not die

Recently, the beloved mother of my very good friend, Michi, passed away.
To help soothe her greiving heart, I sent her the above poem.
This lovely, inspirational poem has an interesting history. So many variations of the poem can be found, and so many different claims of authorship have been made, and still being made. But it is said that the best evidence indicates that it was written by a Baltimore, U.S.A. housewife, Mary Elizabeth Frye, in 1932, to console a German Jewish friend, Margaret Schwarzkopf, who was unable to visit her dying mother in Germany due to anti-semitic feelings in Germany at that time. She told Mary Frye that she lamented the fact that she was not able to "stand by her mother's grave and shed a tear." These words inspired Mary Frye to write the verse to comfort her friend
The many variations and disputed origins of this poem occured mainly because it was never formally published nor copywrited.
For many years the poem's origin was generally unknown, being variously attributed to native American Indians (especially Navajo), traditional folklore and other particular claimant writers. It has appeared, and continues to appear in slightly different versions and different titles.
The complete story of the research made on the origin of this beautiful poem, can be found on Business Balls.
Originally, This poem did not have a title and the first line, "Do not Stand at My Grave and Weep" became the first title by which the poem was known. The poem can be found with different titles, but I like "A Thousand Winds" best.

Marie