With this death my hopes all fade and die,
but there is one way to express my care:
I’ll take him down gently, so that he can lie
in my own tomb; that’s something I can share.
Let it form a temple for our aching grief,
a sanctuary sacred to his memory, where
pilgrims and weeping followers find relief
as my sweet spices soothe away the pain
of those who loved him, offering a brief
respite of peace where they might remain
a little while to pray and gather strength,
before returning to the world again
recalling the life of the man they had adored,
and treasuring the memory of love outpoured.