So be my passing! My task accomplished and the long day done, My wages taken, and in my heart Some late lark singing, Let me be gathered in the quiet west, The sundown splendid and serene, Death.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the acceptance of death as a peaceful conclusion to life.
William Ernest Henley's quote contemplates the inevitability of death, expressing a desire for a serene and beautiful end to life's journey. It captures the notion of finding peace in the transition from life to death, suggesting that, much like a long day that comes to a close, one can accept their fate with grace and tranquility.
In practice
In a eulogy, one might say, 'As Henley put it, let us find peace in the quiet west and accept the beauty of life's end.'
It is the artist's function not to copy but to synthesise: to eliminate from that gross confusion of actuality which is his raw material whatever is accidental, idle, irrelevant, and select for perpetuation that only which is appropriate and immortal.
Were I so tall as to reach the pole or grasp the ocean at a span, I must be measured by my soul. The mind is the standard of the man.
Here is the ghost _x000D_ _x000D_ Of a summer that lived for us, _x000D_ _x000D_ Ere is a promise _x000D_ _x000D_ Of summer to be.
I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.
Monuments! what are they? the very pyramids have forgotten their builders, or to whom they were dedicated. Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great.
God never tires of forgiving us; we are the ones who tire of seeking his mercy.
Every one rushes elsewhere and into the future, because no one wants to face one's own inner self.
A woman may possess the wisdom and chastity of Minerva, and we give no heed to her, if she has a plain face. What folly will not a pair of bright eyes make pardonable? What dullness may not red lips are sweet accents render pleasant? And so, with their usual sense of justice, ladies argue that because a woman is handsome, therefore she is a fool. O ladies, ladies! there are some of you who are neither handsome nor wise.
Despite the obvious emphasis of Scripture (in regard to suffering), we are bombarded by suggestions that the 'successful' Christian living takes place in the realm of constant victory, health, wholeness, and financial prosperity. In response to this we are not to pretend that suffering doesn’t exist or that it might be instantly cured. Such notions are the product of empty heads and closed Bibles.
Enlightenment is like everyday consciousness but two inches above the ground.
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