--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you come as softly As wind within the…" description: "\"If you come as softly As wind within the trees You may hear what I hear See what sorrow sees. If you come as lightly As threading dew I will take you g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/audre-lorde-758_death_if-you-come-as-softly-as-wind-within-the_1104853.jpg" --- # If you come as softly As wind within the trees You may… ![“If you come as softly As wind within the trees You may hear what I hear See what sorrow sees. If you come as lightly As threading dew I will take you gladly Nor ask more of you. You may sit beside me Silent as a breath Only those who stay dead Shall remember death. And if you come I will be silent…” quote by Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/audre-lorde-758_death_if-you-come-as-softly-as-wind-within-the_1104853.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/audre-lorde-758_death_if-you-come-as-softly-as-wind-within-the_1104853.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f66/audre-lorde-758_death_if-you-come-as-softly-as-wind-within-the_1104853.jpg) > “If you come as softly As wind within the trees You may hear what I hear See what sorrow sees. If you come as lightly As threading dew I will take you gladly Nor ask more of you. You may sit beside me Silent as a breath Only those who stay dead Shall remember death. And if you come I will be silent Nor speak harsh words to you. I will not ask you why, now. Or how, or what you do. We shall sit here, softly Beneath two different years And the rich earth between us Shall drink our tears.” [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem invites gentle, compassionate presence, urging quiet listening and shared mourning without judgment. **In simple terms:** Be gentle and listen without judgment. Key Takeaway Approach others with quiet empathy. Themes compassion grief presence silence empathy Mood reflective somber hopeful Type poetic philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - funeral rites - grief counseling - intimate conversations - meditative gatherings Key Concepts existential shared sorrow quiet communion Questions to Reflect On - How can you offer quiet support to someone in grief? - What does silent presence mean to you? A Different Perspective The poem assumes all participants are willing to engage in silence, which may not hold true for everyone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dew/) [Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different/) [Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drink/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earth Shall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth-shall/) [Harsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh/) [Harsh words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/harsh-words/) [Hear Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hear-sorrow-557479/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Remember](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remember/) [Rich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rich/) [Shall Drink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shall-drink-253845/) [Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silent/) [Sit Silent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-silent-1129996/) [Sit Softly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sit-softly-2913828/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Speak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speak/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“If there’s one thing that stands out above all others in my research, it’s that history doesn’t sit still. 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To punish you for having spoken without leave my friend, you must eat this piece of paper: then, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/come-here-grimaud-said-athos-to-punish-you-for-having-spoken-without/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [The LORD hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength, Surely I will no more give thy corn to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bible/the-lord-hath-sworn-by-his-right-hand-and-by-the-arm-of-his-strength/) [Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bible/) ## More by Audre Lorde > [Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/every-woman-i-have-ever-loved-has-left-her-print-upon-me-where-i/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [There are many kinds of open. . . Love is a word, another kind of open. . . 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If that was the only good deed that lady ever did in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-learned-to-read-from-mrs-augusta-baker-the-children-s-librarian-if/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Poetry is not only dream and vision; it is the skeleton architecture of our lives. It lays the foundations for a future of change,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/poetry-is-not-only-dream-and-vision-it-is-the-skeleton-architecture/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [“I think that in America there are certain kinds of problems and in Russia there are certain kinds of problems, but basically, when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/i-think-that-in-america-there-are-certain-kinds-of-problems-and-in/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) > [Institutionalized rejection of differences is an absolute necessity in a profit economy which needs outsiders as surplus people. 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Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/audre-lorde/how-a-diamond-comes-into-a-knot-of-flame-how-a-sound-comes-into-a/) [Audre Lorde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) [Explore all 377 Audre Lorde quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/audre-lorde/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. 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You may sit beside me Silent as a breath Only those who stay dead Shall remember death. And if you come I will be silent Nor speak harsh words to you. I will not ask you why, now. Or how, or what you do. 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