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Jun 26, 2024 · ‘Death is Nothing at All’ by Henry Scott-Holland is a comforting poem that addresses the subject of death from a unique perspective. The poem brings solace to those grieving, emphasizing the continuity of love and life beyond death.
- Stanza One
- Stanza Two
- Stanza Three
- Stanza Four
- Stanza Five
- Stanza Six
The poem begins with the speaker repeating the line that became the title of this piece, “Death is nothing at all.” This repetitionemphasizes the fact that this mantra is not something to be said and then forgotten, but a much larger theme that will last throughout the poem’s entirety. As a reader, it is important to refer back to this line as one ...
The second stanza continues the speaker’s claim that nothing has really changed between the two. He asks his listener to “Call [him] by [his] old familiar name.” He does not wish to be treated, or thought of, any differently because he is now dead. Additionally, he wants everyone, especially this person who means so much to him, to speak “in the ea...
The speaker takes the third stanza to remind his listeners of all the pleasant times they’ve had in the past. He wants to make sure that he/she remembers when “we always laughed” and what “little jokes” they had together. There is nothing depressing about this speaker’s outlook on death. He sees it as being a simple change from one place to another...
It becomes clear by the fifth stanza that the speaker is very sure in his beliefs. He begins to repeatthe same ideas over and over again, one on top of the other, in an effort to make sure that his listener has no doubt in his/her mind about how he wants to be remembered. He sees the time after he has died as being an “absolute unbroken continuity....
In the second to last stanza of the poem, the speaker takes a turn from the repetitive notions that he has been explaining to his listener. He tells her/him that he is “waiting.” He is somewhere quite close by, as close as “Just around the corner.” In a separate line, the speaker states that “All is well.” There is nothing that his listener or anyo...
In the final stanza, which is formatted differently from those which proceeded it. Although it appears different, the sentiments are the same. The speaker explains that nothing in the universe is either “past” or “lost.” Everything exists on the same plane, and on this plane is Christ. In one last plea to the speaker, and attempt to alleviate gener...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Read your poem aloud several times and make note of your own experience. Does the poem seem to be harsh or soft? Elegant or rough? Are there any dominant words or sounds throughout the poem? Make note of your reactions as you read. This can help you to identify the important aspects of the poem.
- Ann Trent
Throughout, Keller explains how what happened at Christmas 2000 years ago is different from other religions and philosophies while trying to bring back into the light the deep and hidden truths of Christmas.
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knows it all. So we seem to feel. And what the face says to us in its sweet silence to us as a last message from the one whom we loved is: “Death is nothing at all. It does not count. I have only slipped away into the next room. Nothing has happened. Everything remains exactly as it was.
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Nov 2, 2023 · This beautiful poem, "Death is Nothing at All", honoring the departed was adapted by Irish monks and make popular, used often at Irish funerals, the Carmelite monks in Tallow, County...
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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 are still. Call me by my old familiar name. Speak to me in the easy way you always used. Put no difference into your tone. Wear no forced air of solemnity or sorrow.
