La Cama Vacía
Julio Jaramillo
The Empty Bed
From a gloomy hospital
Where he was admitted
Almost agonizing and surrounded by a sepulchral silence
With his usual tenderness, the one he always showed
Perhaps with effort, not, from his somber bed
A sick friend of mine wrote me this letter
Dear friend, I would like that upon receiving this
You are well and that luck accompanies you everywhere
For my part, and I could hardly say
That I am better
On the contrary, in my pain, lying on my cold bed
I am a poor skeleton that horrifies myself
The letter is to tell you that if you can someday
Come to keep me company, you who loved me so much
I am so alone and so sad that I cry uncontrollably
No one usually loves me, everyone shows themselves unkind
None of my many friends has come to see me
Today I agree with you, as I see in my loneliness
That this so-called friendship is just an illusion
When one is in good condition, they have friends aplenty
But if cruel fate throws us into an abyss
We see that everything is a lie and that there is no faithful friend
Well, here I say goodbye, as I put an end
Receive a loyal hug from the one who has always loved you
Give your mom, whom I do not forget, my regards
Show her much devotion and shower her with affection
Take care of her, if you knew how much she is worth
Sunday arrived and anxious for that loyal friend
I entered the hospital, distressed and sorrowful
I went silently to the place where I knew
I would find his bed, but there, as soon as I found it
I was astonished to see the empty bed