Sen No Kaze Ni Natte – Become A Thousand Winds

I’m recording song «Sen No Kaze Ni Natte». The song was originally based on poem «Do not stand at my grave and weep» written in 1932 by Mary Frye, Baltimore housewife. Frye wrote the verse for a friend who had recently lost her Mother. She had never written any poetry before that.

Mary found herself composing a piece of verse on a brown paper shopping bag. Later she said that the words «just came to her» and expressed what she felt about life and death.

For many years the poem has been recited at funerals and on other appropriate occasions around the world. It’s a poem about death, grief and bereavement, a poem for all who have lost a loved one.

Later the poem was translated into Japanese by singer-songwriter Man Arai. He also composed song «Sen No Kaze Ni Natte» (“Become A Thousand Winds”), originally sung by Man Arai himself.

But the song didn’t gain popularity until 2006 when it was covered by Akikawa Masafumi.

I hope my version of this beautiful song will be good enough.

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 bereft
I am not there. I have not left.

by Mary Frye, 1932