| Citation |
BEP(P.781.026
22 Dec 1781:43 (1/10)
PICTURE OF LIFE.
What is this life that mortals idly crave?
The noisy passport of the silent grave.
Each moment sinks the value of the prize,
And death is daily present to our eyes.
. . . [4 lines]
Then what's this life? --A temporary stage,
Where divers men in divers parts engage:
The fleeting forms in quick succession glide,
As one moves off, his absence is supply'd;
And should some favourite actor quit the scene,
Into his place another steps serene--
Serene and full of self, he tries to soar,
And reach a height that ne'er was reach'd before.
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