Preghiera in Gennaio [English translation]

1

Oh Lord, let his path

be flowering

when he will have to return

his soul to you

and his skin to the world,

when he will come to your sky,2

whereby stars shine

in broad daylight.

When he will cross

the last old bridge,

he will say to suicide victims,

kissing them on the forehead,

«Come to heaven,

where I am going too,

because there is no hell

in the good Lord’s world.»

Let him join You

with his tired bones,

followed by thousands

of those pale faces;

let him come back to You,

among those killed by contempt,

who showed their courage

to the sky and the earth.

You prig gentlemen,

I hope you won’t be disgruntled

if in Heaven, among the Saints,

God, in his arms,

will drown the sobbing

of those pallid lips

who preferred to die

rather than give up to hatred and ignorance.

God of mercy,

your nice Paradise,

you made it especially

for those who couldn’t laugh,

for those ho lived

with a pure conscience.

Hell exists only

for those who fear it.

Nobody better than him

could ever point out

the mistakes of us all,

whom you can and will save.

Listen to his voice

that is singing in the wind now.

God of mercy,

you’ll be glad, you’ll see.

God of mercy,

you’ll be glad, you’ll see.

1. This song is dedicated to the Italian singer Luigi Tenco who committed suicide on January 27, 1967.2. cielo = sky; heaven.