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Farewell
A farewell can feel so final. When we say goodbye to someone we love, especially through death, we may wonder how we will face the days ahead without them. The thought of never seeing that person again can bring a sadness that words cannot always express.
Yet in Farewell, John Imrie offers a comforting message of hope. While saying goodbye brings tears and sorrow, he reminds us that for those who believe in God, death does not have to mean a final farewell. There is hope in believing that one day we will meet again, where there will be no more separation, tears, or goodbyes.
Among the many poems that speak to the heart during times of loss, this one encourages us to hold on to our faith and remember that a farewell today does not have to mean goodbye forever.
Updated August 17, 2026, by Catherine Pulsifer.
Farewell
Poet: John Imrie
The saddest word we ever hear,
Full-fraught with sorrow, hope, and fear,
The fount of many a bitter tear:
Farewell! Farewell!
Ah! who can tell
What bitter tears,
What hopes and fears.
Surround thy spell?
Sad word "Farewell!"
As, branch by branch, the family tree
Is snapp'd and floated o'er life's sea,
How sad a parent's heart must be,
To say : "Farewell!"
How sad for loving friends to part
For distant scenes — so wide apart —
That mem'ries must suffice the heart
That says: "Farewell! "
How sad to hear the deep-toned bell
Ring out a dear friend's funeral knell.
And feel your very heart-strings swell
To say: "Farewell! "
When we have said our last "Farewell,"
And gone the ranks of heaven to swell,
Rejoice to know — Death breaks the spell —
All's well! all's well!
With God to dwell,
No more, "Farewell!"
No more sad tears!
No doubts! no fears!
Each tongue shall tell:
'Tis well! 'Tis well!"
Key Reflections In This Poem
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Farewells Can Be Difficult
Saying goodbye to someone we love is never easy, especially when we do not know when we will see them again. The sadness we feel is a reminder of how much that person has meant to us.
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Love Remains Even When We Are Apart
Distance may separate family and friends, but it cannot take away the memories and love we carry in our hearts. Those precious memories can bring comfort when someone we care about is no longer near.
-
Death Is Not The Final Farewell
The loss of someone we love brings deep sorrow, but this poem reminds us that death does not have to mean goodbye forever. Faith gives us hope that our farewell is only for a time.
-
Heaven Means No More Goodbyes
John Imrie ends his poem with the comforting thought that with God there will be no more sad farewells, tears, doubts, or fears. What a wonderful hope it is to believe that one day we will be together again.
Popular Pages
If this poem brought you comfort, these pages offer more poems about memories, loss, saying goodbye, and holding close those we love.
Sad Poems put into words the sorrow and emotions we sometimes find difficult to express during life's saddest moments.
Poems About Memories remind us of the treasured moments we have shared and how those memories can keep someone close in our hearts.
Poems of Goodbye Death offer words of comfort and understanding when we are faced with the difficult task of saying goodbye to someone we love.
Goodbye Poems express the sadness of parting while reminding us that love and precious memories can remain with us long after we say farewell.
Conclusion
John Imrie begins Farewell with the sadness that comes from saying goodbye, but he leaves us with a much more hopeful thought. For those who trust in God, parting on earth is not the end. There is comfort in believing that beyond the tears and separation is the promise of being together again. May this poem encourage you to hold close your precious memories, lean on your faith, and find hope in the thought that someday there will be no more goodbyes.
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