--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The sorrow for the dead is the only…" description: "\"“The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget; ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/washington-irving-1386_death_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_2974118.jpg" --- # The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we… ![“The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget; but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open - this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude. Where is the mother who would willingly…” quote by Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/washington-irving-1386_death_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_2974118.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/washington-irving-1386_death_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_2974118.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c7f/washington-irving-1386_death_the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorr_2974118.jpg) > ““The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. Every other wound we seek to heal - every other affliction to forget; but this wound we consider it a duty to keep open - this affliction we cherish and brood over in solitude. Where is the mother who would willingly forget the infant that perished like a blossom from her arms, though every recollection is a pang? Where is the child that would willingly forget the most tender of parents, though to remember be but to lament? Who, even in the hour of agony, would forget the friend over whom he mourns? Who, even when the tomb is closing upon the remains of her he most loved, when he feels his heart, as it were, crushed in the closing of its portal, would accept of consolation that must be bought by forgetfulness? No, the love which survives the tomb is one of the noblest attributes of the soul. If it has its woes, it has likewise its delights; and when the overwhelming burst of grief is calmed into the gentle tear of recollection, when the sudden anguish and the convulsive agony over the present ruins of all that we most loved are softened away in pensive meditation on all that it was in the days of its loveliness - who would root out such a sorrow from the heart? Though it may sometimes throw a passing cloud over the bright hour of gaiety, or spread a deeper sadness over the hour of gloom, yet who would exchange it even for the song of pleasure, or the burst of revelry? No, there is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song. There is a remembrance of the dead to which we turn even from the charms of the living. Oh, the grave! The grave! It buries every error - covers every defect - extinguishes every resentment! From its peaceful bosom spring none but fond regrets and tender recollections.”” [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Grief for the dead is a profound, enduring sorrow that shapes the soul, contrasting with fleeting pains. **In simple terms:** Loss of loved ones leaves lasting grief. Key Takeaway Honor and process grief. Themes mortality memory grief Mood somber contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - funerals - anniversary rituals - personal loss - therapy sessions Key Concepts existential reflection psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance remembrance and moving forward? - What rituals help transform grief? A Different Perspective Grief can hinder healing if clung to excessively. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) [Rememberance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rememberance/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sorrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sorrow/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/the-sorrow-for-the-dead-is-the-only-sorrow-from-which-we-refuse-to-be/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. 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Where is the mother who would willingly forget the infant that perished like a blossom from her arms, though every recollection is a pang? Where is the child that would willingly forget the most tender of parents, though to remember be but to lament? Who, even in the hour of agony, would forget the friend over whom he mourns? Who, even when the tomb is closing upon the remains of her he most loved, when he feels his heart, as it were, crushed in the closing of its portal, would accept of consolation that must be bought by forgetfulness? No, the love which survives the tomb is one of the noblest attributes of the soul. If it has its woes, it has likewise its delights; and when the overwhelming burst of grief is calmed into the gentle tear of recollection, when the sudden anguish and the convulsive agony over the present ruins of all that we most loved are softened away in pensive meditation on all that it was in the days of its loveliness - who would root out such a sorrow from the heart? Though it may sometimes throw a passing cloud over the bright hour of gaiety, or spread a deeper sadness over the hour of gloom, yet who would exchange it even for the song of pleasure, or the burst of revelry? No, there is a voice from the tomb sweeter than song. There is a remembrance of the dead to which we turn even from the charms of the living. Oh, the grave! The grave! It buries every error - covers every defect - extinguishes every resentment! 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