Certainly time will blow the memory
By and by of our existence away.
Only our shadows will then remain verily
In words and deeds, anyway.
Few our efforts and names will recall in this place,
Nonentity or celebrity, king or slave
And even the affluence in life now displays
Will surely melt and slide into darkness itself,
For despite the greatness of our achievements
Into oblivion all men shall sink
While the gist and praise of today's glories
From distant lands someday will echo back.
We're born to die once and die to live again,
Yet none shall live more who die not born again.