October 16
So live that, when the call comes and you join the great caravan, you go not like the slave to his drudgery, but borne by firm trust — like one who lifts the cover of his couch and lies down to serene dreams.
Thanatopsis (freely rendered)
Listening mode
So live that, when the call comes and you join the great caravan, you go not like the slave to his drudgery, but borne by firm trust — like one who lifts the cover of his couch and lies down to serene dreams.
When you imagine music for your own farewell, a cheerful piece may come to mind. Then you hesitate: would it comfort the people sitting there, or unsettle them? You yourself connect something with it that the melody alone does not reveal.
Inside this question is a last wish – yours – for understanding. Perhaps you want the others to hear that you are not made up only of your end. There was a rhythm you liked to walk to, a voice that kept you company.
You could tell them this now and listen to the piece with them. The later occasion remains uncertain. For this evening the music would simply be present, and you could still say which passage you like best.
