Every individual has their meaning for death. Some consider it to be a departure that takes you beyond the skies, while a few others consider it to be just a shift of your soul from one form to another. "Death is nothing at all' is also one such memorial poem that expresses a new perspective of death. Written by the poet Henry Scott Holland, this grief poem takes on the nature of death and how it is not a real separation.
The poem about loss, 'Death is Nothing at All,' is six stanzas long and is divided into stanzas of varying lengths to produce a complete composition. The final verse of this funeral poem is the most out of the ordinary. It is expanded into two more phrase-like lines, which bring the memorial verse to a conclusion.
To make the poem about losing a loved one and its message more personalized, the poet has opted to have his lead character talk in the first person with an omniscient and narrative perspective in his poem. The point of view allows the reader to take a deeper look and get more invested in the speaker's situation. If nothing else, it may inspire the reader to apply the poet's words to their situation.
The poet begins by asserting that death is a concept that means nothing. This recurrence of the line highlights the notion that this phrase is not something to be spoken and then ignored, but instead a much wider concept that will be present throughout the poem's entire length and breadth of expression. As a reader, it is critical to refer back to this sentence as one progresses through the stanzas until the conclusion.
In the opening verse, the poet describes how "death" hasn't affected his relationship with any person. Only a significant figure in the speaker's life is described here. The speaker claims he has just moved into the "next room," and their relationship remains unchanged. They are still the same folks that care for each other.
The speaker claims nothing has changed. "Call [him] by his old name," he says. He does not want to be treated differently since he is gone. It is important to him that people communicate "in an easy way." His audience may be moved to "solemnity" or "sorrow," but he does not want this.
In the third stanza, the poet reminds his audience of earlier pleasures. He wants him/her to recall when they "always laughed" and their "funny jokes."
This speaker's attitude on dying is not depressing. He considers it to be a simple transition from one location to another that should not affect the world in which he and his listeners live.
By the fifth verse of this memorial poem, it is evident that the speaker is certain of his ideas. For the rest of his life, he wants to be remembered for how he wants to be known. With that, the speaker ends the short poem for the funeral by telling the reader he will be waiting for them on the other side. Everyone will be happier and at peace.
Death is nothing at all - I have only
slipped away into the next room.
Whatsoever we were to each other,
that we are still.
Call me by my old familiar name,
speak to me in the
easy way which you always used to.
Laugh as we always laughed at the
little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me, pray for me.
Let my name be the household word
that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effort.
Life means all that it has ever meant.
It is the same as it ever was,
there is absolutely unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of your mind
because I am out of your sight?
I am but waiting for you, for an interval,
somewhere very near,
just around the corner.
All is well.
Kandoy House,2 Fairview Strand, Dublin
