Saturday, April 3, 2010

Why Is Life So Fleeting?

Why is life so fleeting?
Why must all things die?
Why must days defeat us
While in beds we lie?
Why must petals wilt,
And beauty fade like sighs?
Why is life so fleeting?
Why must all things die?


6 comments:

  1. Beautiful!
    And something I have often turned my mind too...

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  2. Thank you!
    The Japanese have a phrase: mono no aware. It means to be moved by something due to the melancholy brought on by its fleeting nature. To put it in English: things that don't last forever are more beautiful for it, but they are always tinged with a hint of melancholy because they are fleeting.
    And, just for that, I will translate my April Fool's blog for you (I will add it as part of the blog). The "pretty please" in your other comment helped, too. ;-)

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  3. Cherry blossoms! Nothing lasts forever--mercifully!

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  4. Hope you don't mind a spot of criticism:
    The first four lines are beautiful, but I found that the rhyming of 'lie' with 'sighs' didn't quite carry on that rhythm. Changing the sixth line to 'a sigh' might help.

    As for the answer to the question: watch this:
    http://www.youtube.com/v/YDBtCb61Sd4
    It's beautiful, something like your first four lines. Come to think of it, the change I mentioned will help, because it will give the poem a sense of symmetry missing when you break the rhythm.

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  5. I like that phrase!
    Why, thank you very much! {See, I know my pleases AND my thank you's. =D}

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  6. I don't mind criticism, Ronak, but if I change "sighs" to "a sigh," the rhythm of that line changes, and I'd rather have a near rhyme ("lie" and "die" with "sighs") than screw up the rhythm (or beats) in the lines. So, it was kind of "damned if I do, damned if I don't." But I appreciate the criticism, nonetheless. :-)

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