2. Because by mere chance were we born, And hereafter we shall be as though we had never been: Because the breath in our nostrils is smoke, And while our heart beats reason is a spark,
3. Which being extinguished, the body shall be turned into ashes, And the spirit shall be dispersed as thin air;
4. And our name shall be forgotten in time, And no man shall remember our works; And our life shall pass away as the traces of a cloud, And shall be scattered as is a mist, When it is chased by the beams of the sun, And overcome by the heat thereof.
5. For our alloted time is the passing of a shadow, And our end retreats not; Because it is fast sealed, and none turns it back.
6. Come therefore and let us enjoy the good things that now are; And let us use the creation with all our soul as youth’s possession.
7. Let us fill ourselves with costly wine and perfumes; And let no flower of spring pass us by: