Do not stand at my grave and weep

This is one of the most beautiful and meaningful, yet simple, Easter song I've ever heard. It deals with the very essence of Easter and the resurrection of Christ in the most simple and subtle way. Of course, for those who don't know who Christ is the words would just fly by. But even then it's a very beautiful song. The words were based on a poem written by Mary Elizabeth Frye. The beautifully haunting music was written by Robert Prizeman specifically for his choirband, Libera, originally published in 2004 in the album Free. Different music that used the same poem do exist prior to Libera's version, but of all the versions of this song that I've listened to in Youtube, Mr. Prizeman's music stood out as the best.

Happy Easter, everyone. (The original poem can be read below the embedded video.)



The original poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye:

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 do not die.

Far away

February 6, 2009. Night. I got a call about my mother being admitted to the hospital back in my home city of Cagayan de Oro. Details were blurry back then. It sounded like she's going to die. I quickly checked the available flights the next day and went to sleep. Yes, I was able to sleep. It took some time. But I was able to sleep. Thanks to the reassuring, soothing, heavenly voices of Libera. I listened to one song only. I put it to a loop. That song was Far Away. It's a beautiful song sung by the best vocal group in the world with a solo from Michael Horncastle, one of the finest soloists the group has ever had.





Whereever I go
Far away and anywhere

Time after time you always shine
through dark of night calling after me

And whereever I climb
Far away and anywhere

You raise me high beyond the sky
through stormy night lifting me above

Venite Spiritu et emitte caelitus
Venite Spiritu et emitte caelitus
Venite Spiritu Venite Spiritus

Far away beyond the sky

Whenever I cry
Far away and anywhere

You hear me call when shadows fall
your light of hope showing me the way

God spared my mother's life. And whatever happens in the future, knowing that everyone dies in the end, I'm grateful to God that she spared her life in that instance. Whenever I hear a Libera song, I am calm. And the song Far Away always bring me back to the night of February 6, 2009. Where all I could do was hope and pray.