original title: Homo fugit velut umbra/Man flees like a shadow
Oh how wrong you are to think that the years will never end. We must die.
Life is a dream, that seems so sweet, but joy is all too brief. We must die.
Of no avail is medicine, of no use is quinine, we cannot be cured. We must die.
Worthless are lamentations, threats, bravado produced by our courage. We must die.
No learned doctrine can find the words to calm this boldness. We must die.
There is no means to untie this knot, it is useless to flee. We must die.
It is the same for everyone, a wily man cannot shield himself from the blow.
We must die.
We die singing, we die playing the cittern, the bagpipe, yet die we must.
We die dancing, drinking, eating; with this carrion die we must.
Cruel death is unfaithful to all, and shames everyone. Die we must.
And yet, o madness, o ravings, it seems like lying to oneself. Die we must.
Youth, children, and all men must end in dust. We must die.
The healthy, the sick, the brave, the defenceless, must all make an end. We must die.
And when you are least thinking of it, in your breast, all comes to an end. We must die.
If you do not think of this, you have lost your senses,
your are dead and you can say: We must die.
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