Dead Dialogue

1st Corpse.

I would now that the sweet light of the sun Might once again shine down upon my face; So weary am I of my rottenness.

2nd Corpse.

Rejoice that now at least thou art done with life; This thing shall nevermore return.

1st Corpse.

At last My body is aweary of the tomb; It is a hundred years since in the grave I have lain down between four narrow walls, Shut up with putrid darkness and the worm. There is no flesh upon my body now, That was so long a-rotting; on my shelf Here am I now nothing but stinking bones, That have had life beneath the face of the sun.

3rd Corpse.

I am not yet utterly putrified, And the worms yet within my flesh abound; I do repent me that I did not learn What life was, while I liv'd beneath the sun-- At least then I might think of what I had done; But I am rotten, and I have not liv'd.

1st Corpse.

I would that I might leave this place of ordure And look once more upon the face of the world, Where the sun is.

2nd Corpse.

O foolish ragged-bones, Wouldst thou show forth thy dripping excrements, And shredded rottenness to the face of day?-- Stink and be still, and leave us here in peace.

1st Corpse.

Envy me not, O stench, slop-face, dung-eyes; My bones are clean and dry as the tomb's walls, And stink not; as for thee, thou art a sink.

2nd Corpse.

Envy me not, thou, that I am so sweet The black worms love me; hungry were that worm That on thee preys.

4th Corpse.

Be silent, both ye dead and rotten things; Lo I, that was unburied yesterday, Am fair and smooth and firm, and almost sweet; If that I were not dead, one might me love.

3rd Corpse.

Is it so sweet a thing, this love, this love?

2nd Corpse.

Thy lips are green for kissing, and streaks of black Streak over thee where the worms have not yet been!

4th Corpse.

Ha, ha, I know wherefore thou speakest so: Because thy torture is too great for thee, And the worms' gnawing, and thy body's rottenness, And the rottenness in thy bones and in thy brain!

1st Corpse.

O beautiful, O dead, O spit upon, He speaketh well that is but lately dead; Thy flesh lies all along thee like green slime, O pudding gravied in thine own dead sauce!

2nd Corpse.

Rotten one!

1st Corpse.

Dung-heap!

2nd Corpse.

Dead one!

1st Corpse.

Beast! beast! beast! Therefore perhaps, thou art so early dead?

2nd Corpse.

They say that those thou lovedst were not men, O goat-face--Shall I say what was thy death?

4th Corpse.

Come, come, my brothers, be not so slanderous; We have all been the same upon the earth.

3rd Corpse.

Thou sayest true, new brother.

1st Corpse.

Thou sayest true.

2nd Corpse.

I shall not suffer anything any more; (Aside.) I have left all that; I am evermore releas'd; I shall not struggle and suffer any more; This seemeth strange and very sweet to me; And I shall grow accustom'd to the worms.

5th Corpse.

Rejoice not thou, that thou art fallen Into a pit where people leave their dung; There is no reason here for any joy.

Sepulchre.

Be silent, now, ye spindle-shankèd dead! Ye will learn to be silent when y'are here For a long time; ye always spout and roar, At first, before the time of rottenness; But so I suppose it must be,--y'are not the first, And ye shall not be the last; so fast i' the world, So eagerly they are begotten, and they die, And they are begotten again; just for this end Hideously propagated evermore.

A Voice above singing.

Golden is the sunlight, When the daylight closes, Golden blow the roses Ere the spring is old; All thy hair is golden, Falling long and lowly Round thy bosom holy; And thy heart is of fine gold!