Words of solace, comfort

"Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak / Whispers the o'erfraught heart, and bids it break."
— William Shakespeare

We couldn't have said it better than one of the greatest wordsmiths of all time.

Grief is a deeply personal experience, but it's also a shared one. If you're looking for solace today, perhaps you'll find it in the words that many others have turned to for comfort over the years. Some may be familiar to you, others may be of another culture or religion.

But their message is the same: words of peace, hope and comfort in times of sorrow.

All things pass
A sunrise does not last all morning
All things pass
A cloudburst does not last all day
All things pass
Nor a sunset all night
All things pass
What always changes?
Earth ... sky ... thunder ...
mountain ... water ...
wind ... fire ... lake ...
These change
And if these do not last
Do man's visions last?
Do man's illusions?
Take things as they come
All things pass
— Taoism

May there be peace in the higher regions;
May there be peace in the firmament;
May there be peace on earth.
May the waters flow peacefully;
May the herbs and plants grow peacefully;
May all the divine powers bring unto us peace.
The supreme Lord is peace.
May we all be in peace, peace and only peace;
And may that peace come unto each of us.
— Hinduism

The body dies but the spirit is not entombed.
— Buddhism

In the rising of the sun and in its going down,
we remember them.
In the glowing of the wind and in the chill of winter,
we remember them.
In the opening of buds and in the rebirth of spring,
we remember them.
In the blueness of the sky and in the warmth of summer,
we remember them.
In the rustling of leaves and in the beauty of autumn,
we remember them.
In the beginning of the year and when it ends,
we remember them.
When we are weary and in need of strength,
we remember them.
When we are lost and sick at heart,
we remember them.
When we have joys we yearn to share,
we remember them.
So long as we live, they too shall live,
for they are now a part of us, as we remember them.
— Judaism

Our Father the Sky, hear us and make us bold.
O Our Mother the earth, hear us and give us support.
O Spirit of the East, send us your wisdom.
O Spirit of the South, may we walk your path of life.
O Spirit of the West, may we always be ready for the long journey.
O Spirit of the North, purify us with your cleansing winds.
— Sioux prayer

And a woman spoke, saying, Tell us of Pain. And he said:

Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding.

Even as the stone of the fruit must break, that its heart may stand in the sun, so must you know pain.

And could you keep your heart in wonder at the daily miracles of your life, your pain would not seem less wondrous than your joy;

And you would accept the seasons of your heart, even as you have always accepted the seasons that pass over your fields.

And you would watch with serenity through the winters of your grief.
— Kahlil Gibran, from The Prophet

To everything there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
a time to get, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time of war, and a time of peace.
— Ecclesiastes 3:1-8