As all the Heavens were a Bell,
And Being, but an Ear,
And I, and Silence, some strange Race
Wrecked, solitary, here –
And then a Plank in Reason, broke,
And I dropped down, and down –
And hit a World, at every plunge,
And Finished knowing – then – Emily Dickinson, The Complete Poems
Never did tombs look so ghastly white. Never did cypress, or yew, or juniper so seem the embodiment of funeral gloom. Never did tree or grass wave or rustle so ominously. Never did bough creak so mysteriously, and never did the far-away howling of dogs send such a woeful presage through the night. Bram Stoker, Dracula
Pa said, ‘Won’t you say a few words? Ain’t none of our folks ever been buried without a few words.’
Connie led Rose of Sharon to the graveside, she reluctant. ‘You got to,’ Connie said. ‘It ain’t decent not to. It’ll jus’ be a little.’
The firelight fell on the grouped people, showing their faces and their eyes, dwindling on their dark clothes. All the hats were off now. The light danced, jerking over the people.
Casy said, ‘It’ll be a short one.’ He bowed his head, and the others followed his lead. Casy said solemnly, ‘This here ol’ man jus’ lived a life an’ just died out of it. I don’t know whether he was good or bad, but that don’t matter much. He was alive, an’ that’s what matters. An’ now his dead, an’ that don’t matter. Heard a fella tell a poem one time, an’ he says ‘All that lives is holy.’ Got to thinkin, an’ purty soon it means more than the words says. An’ I woundn’t pray for a ol’ fella that’s dead. He’s awright. He got a job to do, but it’s all laid out for ‘im an’ there’s o’y one way to do it. But us, we got a job to do, an’ they’s a thousan’ ways, an’ we don’ know which one to take. An’ if I was to pray, it’d be for the folks that don’ know which way to turn. Grampa here, he got the easy straight. An’ now cover ’im up and let ’im get to his work.’ He raised his head. John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Stoner was one of the pallbearers at the funeral. At the services he could not keep his mind on the words the minister said, but he knew that they were empty. He remembered Sloane as he had first seen him in the classroom; he remembered their first talks together; and he thought of the slow decline of this man who had been his distant friend. Later, after the services were over, when he lifted his handle of the gray casket and helped to carry it out to the hearse, what he carried seemed so light that he could not believe there was anything inside the narrow box. John Edward Williams, Stoner
Previous generations understood about death, and undoubtedly would have seen a reasonable amount of death. Once you get into the Victorian era, you might well have seen the funerals of many of your siblings before you were very old. Terry Pratchett
There will be no funeral! Before I get too old and ill, I’ll go to South America and live among the Pemon people and meditate. When the time is right, they can throw my body into the volcano. Brian Blessed
The funeral business is so manipulative emotionally. I would want to be thrown into the sea or burned – something that’s not a big hassle. Bjork
When I vacate this sack of old bones I won’t care what you do with it. Bury or burn it but don’t make much fuss. Wilbur Smith
It sounds good so it makes a good funeral. 50 Renowned Academics Speaking About God, James Watson
But not one of the sparkling hundreds that enjoyed his hospitality attended the funeral. And from Daisy not even a flower. The Great Gatsby 2013 starring Leonardo di Caprio & Tobey McGuire & Carey Mulligan & Joel Edgerton & Isla Fisher & Jason Clarke & Elizabeth Debicki & Jack Thompson & Amitabh Bachchan et al, director Baz Luhrmann
The British press called the occasion [funeral of Reinhard Heydrich] – ‘A gangster funeral in the pompous Chicago style.’ The Assassination of Reinhard Heydrich, H2 2014
They’re coming here for the politics. This is a working funeral. Yes, Prime Minister s2e3: A Diplomatic Incident, Jim to Annie, BBC 1987
If only his friends came to the funeral, we wouldn’t even fill the vestry. ibid. Jim to Annie
They bear him to his resting-place –
In slow procession sweeping by;
I follow at a stranger’s space,
His kindred they, his sweetheart I.
Unchanged my gown of garish dye,
Though sable-sad is their attire;
But they stand round with griefless eye,
Whilst my regret consumes like fire! Thomas Hardy, She at His Funeral
Taking home the coffin and lifting in the corpse, one shilling … Crass made six shillings and ninepence out of each funeral, and sometimes a little more. For instance, when there was an unusually good-class corpse they had a double coffin … Robert Tressell, The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist
He had on an old black cassock and a much soiled and slightly torn surplice. The unseemly appearance of this dirty garment was heightened by the circumstance that he had not taken the trouble to adjust it properly. It hung all lop-sided, showing about six inches more of the black cassock underneath one side than the other … he could not afford to wear clean linen – at any rate, not the funerals of the lower classes. ibid.
After a wait of about ten minutes, the clergymen entered and, at once proceeding to the desk, began to recite in a rapid and wholly unintelligible manner the usual office … His attitude and manner were contemptuously indifferent. ibid.
But soon as early Dawn appeared, the rosy-fingered, then gathered the folk about the pyre of glorious Hector. And when they were assembled and met together, first they quenched with flaming wine all the pyre, so far as the fire’s might had come upon it, and thereafter his brethren and his comrades gathered the white bones, mourning, and big tears flowed ever down their cheeks. The bones they took and placed in a golden urn, covering them over with soft purple robes, and quickly laid the urn in a hollow grave, and covered it over with great close-set stones. Then with speed heaped they the mound, and round about were watchers set on every side, lest the well-greaved Achaeans should set upon them before the time. And when they had piled the barrow they went back, and gathering together duly feasted a glorious feast in the palace of Priam, the king fostered of Zeus. On this wise held they funeral for horse-taming Hector. Homer, The Ilyad XXIV
Today at 4 p.m. we will be meeting in the parking lot to have a funeral for this bird. The Office US s3e4: Grief Counseling, Michael, NBC 2006
The [Mormon] funeral was for a lady who was a close friend of my family. Her husband died young and she had to struggle to raise 6 kids herself. One of her sons left the church years ago. He has lots of issues with his family and the church. While waiting for the funeral to start, Daniel (the son) came in the chapel singing a hymn with his booming voice. He was barefoot wearing shorts and a T-shirt and carrying a bottle of liquor. Daniel went up to his mother’s casket and looked at his mother. He then turned to the people and said his mother worked 40 years in a factory and she didn’t have a thing to show for it. She struggled financially to raise her children. He said the church didn’t to a damn thing for her in all those years. His mother gave what little money she had to the church. In her old age, she had to to sell her trailer, her car and the one acre of land to pay for the nursing home. All she had now was a casket. He said the church came first in her life. She couldn’t spend much time with her kids because she was busy working at the factory and volunteering to work for the church. Daniel then said the church ruined his family. They took her hard-earned money when they needed food and clothes. They controlled everything she did. Even in death the church controlled her by dressing her up like a clown. Daniel pointed to the people and said the church was dangerous and you haven’t the sense to know it. About that time the bishop came in and walked to the podium then the family came in. Everyone was floored and embarrassed. I don’t know why no-one tried to stop him but I think everyone was shocked. I spoke to Daniel after the service and didn’t seemed to be too drunk. I didn’t dare mention anything about his speech. Anniegal, board post 18th July 2017, ‘I Attended a LDS Funeral Yesterday and It’s One I’ll Never Forget’
This is the story of a dramatic and deadly series of events that took place at two funerals in Belfast in March 1988. The Funeral Murders, BBC 2018
The Gibraltar 3 were unarmed when they were killed … The coffins were driven 100 miles north across the border to Belfast. ibid.
A sense of nervousness about how the funeral would be policed. ibid.
This triple Republican funeral was a major event in west Belfast with thousands of people lining the route. ibid.
‘There was a loud boom’ … ‘And then people were sort of in a panic’ … ‘There were more explosions’ … ‘I seen this fellow, ended up Michael Stone, having this handgun’ … ‘Then he pulled out a grenade’ … The crowd of mourners caught up with him and successfully overpowered him. ibid.
He [Stone] attacked the mourners indiscriminately injuring 60 people and killing 3 of the young men. ibid.
Just 72 hours after the funeral of the Gibraltar 3, Republicans prepared for another funeral … IRA volunteer Michael Brady who’d been killed by Michael Stone 3 days earlier. ibid.
British soldiers who had been travelling in an unmarked vehicle. ibid.