The Radio House lobby was full of people, many of them were crying. The memorial service began, it was conducted by poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko. There were constantly changing the Guards of Honor. The speeches began. Farewell words were spoken by Andrey Dementyev, Lyudmila Zykina, who was crying, Evgeny Yevtushenko, and others. They all spoke of grief and bereavement from the passing of Robert. Singer Iosif Kobzon performed one of Robert”s farewell poems written right before his death and published in the book “The Last Poems of Robert Rozhdestvensky”.

Sometimes the pain comes, sometimes the pain weakens —
Why it hurts,
I don’t know myself…
There are main songs in any fate:
The cradle song
and the memorial song… <…>
There are main songs in any fate.
Do take your time, the memorial song!

The funeral music was heard; people recited Robert’s poems and their own poems, and sang his songs, bitterly regretting their beloved poet’s death. It was touching and wonderful! They are just ordinary, kind people, who said their forever farewells to the beloved poet with warmth. Alla Borisovna, his wife, sat near the coffin accepting profound sympathies. And I was accompanied to the grave because later it would be impossible to get through the crowd…There were many friends and those who just loved his poetry and songs, respected and appreciated him as a poet, and each expressed an unbearable pain and grief from Robert”s untimely passing. Here we are at home, stricken by Robert”s funeral, the unbearable deprival, and the difficulty of the ceremony. He is no longer with us! And we are still living. This is our fate.