Farewell to a friend

Now that your soul has departed, heading for the world beyond,
you leave me behind, with a heart filled with memories...
And it is as if you've returned to life, are part of the living again;
you dance and laugh, you look cheerfully to me, offer me a drink,
and we walk and talk on a summer evening, when the shadows fall
and the sounds of the city pass by, dreaming, almost unconscious.

You are part of the immortals now, and you look at me,
like you did in your lifetime: cheerfull, with your tender laugh,
and I can almost feel your hand that touches my hair,
see your smile. Your voice whispers to me from beyond the veil
that is draped between this world and thine, between you and me.

I pray for you, I speak to you, I wish you goodnight, my friend,
my companion, who joined me, who told me the story of your life.
I hear your voice from the Great Beyond, see your eyes still,
though they are closed. You are still part of me, as I am part of you.

My friend, may the heavens open their gates for your tender soul.
My heart greets you for a last farewell, though you'll ever stay here,
in the vast spaces of my love, in the deep realms of time and space.

You will never be forgotten, coz' you'll ever stay here, my friend.
May God bless you, caress you, take you home to his dominions.
May all the pain and all the sorrow you suffered on earth stay behind.

May a torch of light and the power of love accompany you
as you enter the realms of heaven and pass the gates of eternity.

Farewell!