Farewell My Friends - Rabindranath Tagore

Sometimes in preparing a funeral for a loved one, we are at a loss to find a suitable reading. We are trying to say something which we believe our deceased loved one would have said had she or he had an opportunity to utter some final words. This well-known poem is something that might be found to be suitable for many different circumstances. It refers to a person’s contentment with life and expresses gratitude to his or her friends for their companionship and support.

Transcript

Dear friends,

I'd like to read for you a poem from the Indian poet Tagore.

Farewell my friends.

Farewell my friends.

It was beautiful as long as it lasted,

The journey of my life.

I have no regrets whatsoever,

Save the pain I leave behind.

Those dear hearts who love and care,

And the strings pulling at the heart and soul.

The strong arms that held me up when my own strength let me down.

At the turning of my life I came across good friends,

Friends who stood by me even when time raced me by.

Farewell.

Farewell my friends.

I smile and bid you goodbye.

No,

Shed no tears,

For I need them not.

All I need is your smile.

If you feel sad,

Do think of me,

For that's what I like.

When you live in the hearts of those you love,

Remember then you never die.

Farewell my friends from Tagore.

Namaste.

Reviews

🙏🕊thank you

Thanks Tony

So moving and beautiful. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻🌺

Thank you, Tony! I am going to copy this down to include in my Living Trust folder, along with the song, “Do Not Stands at My Grave and Weep.”

Beautiful…Namaste. 🌺🌸

Beautiful poem! I hope you are well and that you are not saying farewell to us! Blessings to you my friend. 🙏🏻💕

I loved the poem, but I hope that all is well with you.

Beautiful words, beautifully spoken 💕 This isn’t something I need right now but I will bookmark for when I do. It really resonates with me and I’ll leave it somewhere to be found when my time to depart comes along. Thank you so much 🙏💕

Beautiful words; thank you for sharing them, Tony. ❤️❤️❤️🙏

Beautiful poem thank you Tony 🙏🏼💕