A traditional Irish Funeral Blessing
Death is nothing at all It does not count I have only slipped away into the next room Everything is at it was The old life that we lived so fondly together is untouched, unchanged Whatever we were to each other we are still Call me by the old familiar name Speak of me in the easy way which you always used Put no sorrow in your tone Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes that we enjoyed together Play, smile, think of me, pray for me Let my name be ever the household word that it always was Let it be spoken without effort Life means all that it ever meant, It is the same as it ever was There is unbroken coninuity Why should i be out of mind because i am out of sight? I am but waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere very near, just around the corner All is well, nothing is hurt, nothing is lost One brief moment and all will be as it was before How we shal laugh at the trouble of parting when we meet again