The Clocks Of Death

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Title:     The Clocks Of Death
Author: Edward Powys Mathers [More Titles by Mathers]

In a life where the clocks
Are slow or fast,
It is a pleasant thing
To die together
As we are dying.

From the Japanese of the Wife of Bes-syo Ko-saburo Naga-haru, (sixteenth
century).

[Note: THE CLOCKS OF DEATH: this poem is a zi-sei, or lyric made at the point of death. Naga-Haru committed suicide after an unsuccessful defence of the strong castle Mi-Ki against Hashiba Hideyoshi in 1580. His wife followed his example, composing this poem as she died.]

[The end]
Edward Powys Mathers's poem: Clocks Of Death

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