The Dead's Plea

When my body shall lie still Like a fallen wooden idol And all the air gone from my nostril When I shall be planted, never to stir And my body enriching the soil Don’t cry for me I’ m now a salient silent hero Whose adversaries have fizzled to zero Gone where my spirit is pleased Wander in wonders is the deceased A call to reap and to rest I did my deeds all at my best Don’t cry for me I only humble to the irrevocable law Dying for new seeds to grow Death is better than a bad in-law Fill the air with the scents of joy With sweet wines full your jaw Let the bongo drums beat out loud and never jeer Don’t cry for me Death is as jealous as a lover I’m rich, but never a briber But let my epitaph be written in your heart A tender remind that is life is an art The dead’s fame is his good deeds After these mortal frames are no longer his needs Be merry, make no mourn Now that I become among ancestors Don’t cry for me