MEANS death so much? Is it so great an ill As most men think? . . . Birth was not painbestead, And we shall feel no pain when we are dead. Let be! What birth began, death must fulfil. "But thou shalt cease to be!" What then? . . . The chill That leaves our bodies hueless, cold, and dread, Ends feeling too. The fateful Spinner's thread Once broken, there's no longing, wish, nor will. "Thou shalt not eat." I shall have no desire Toward meat or drink. The body by such fare Lengthens its life and our dependency; The spirit needs them not. "But love, the fire Of joy, shall fail thee." And I shall not care. He that escapes desire, at last is free. |