Thread: Well, he died doing what he liked to do.

Originally Posted by carlmaloschneider

I think you have to look at it like this:

By a Bier-Side

Man is a sacred city, built of marvellous earth.
Life was lived nobly here to give this body birth.
Something was in this brain, and in his eager hand.
Death is so dumb and blind, Death cannot understand.
Death drifts the bran with dust and soils the young limbs' glory.
Death makes women and dream and men a traveller's story,
Death drives the lovely soul to wander under the sky,
Death opens unknown doors. It is most grand to die.

John Mansfield

If an author/poet/movie director doesn't get their point across the first time through i think that they failed at their job. After about 10 readings I think that i get the point. Can.you explain this to me?

Tim

Originally Posted by 32t

If an author/poet/movie director doesn't get their point across the first time through i think that they failed at their job. After about 10 readings I think that i get the point. Can.you explain this to me?

Tim

Yeah. Sorry. Fair point. I knew it was off topic a tad. I think it's saying it's OK to die. I like how it starts off praising man, youth really, life, goes on to have a go at Death, calling it stupid, etc, talks of the soul leaving the body (which sounds nice, really), then actually ends up praising death at the fact that at least it's something new. Now, one may feel death is the end, and another may not. I guess this pretty old poem might hold to the 'not' idea rather than the 'is' idea.

Poetry, like all art, speaks privately and individually; one enters into a personal relationship with it. What this poem says to me may not be what it says to you.

I understand the original post about risk taking, living life to the full, etc. I heard a snippet the other day on the radio about an 'aging seminar'. It was about how long, theoretically a person could live for. It talked about a French lady; 120 odd years I think. But she was hardly a model for good living. She DID finally give up smoking; at 119. It talked of those who restrict calories; as it's I think been found to be a factor. She (the presenter) said she always remembered those people who restricted calories, as they always seemed so sad. She said, yes, it may bring a long life, but it FEELS long.