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/lit/ - Literature

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14804649 No.14804649 [Reply] [Original]

Now with the virus rampaging in full force, it seems opportune to have a thread about DEATH. What are your favourite works about the experience/understanding of and reconciliation with death?

One of my favourite works that pertains to the topic is one of the oldest literary works, the Epic of Gilgamesh - an ancient Mesopotamian poem about a king of Uruk and his failed quest for immortality after witnessing the death of his best friend.

Here's an excerpt, where Siduri (a minor goddess) advises Gilgamesh to cease his pursuit of immortality:
>'Gilgamesh, where are you hurrying?
>You will not find that life that you purusue.
>When the gods created mankind, They allotted to him death, >But life they retained in their own keeping.
>As for you, Gilgamesh, fill your belly with good things,
>Make thou merry by day and by night.
<Of each day make thou a feast of rejoicing,
>Day and night dance and play!
<Let your clothing be sparkling fresh,
>Thy head be washed; bathe thou in water.
>Love the child that holds on to thy hand,
>Make your wife happy in your embrace!
>For this is the lot of mankind!'

>> No.14804927

The coronavirus's effect is weakened, the death toll is minor compared to the recovery rate.

>> No.14805063
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14805063

>>14804927
Hi gary.

>> No.14805071

>>14804927
As of right now there are 3k dead and like 37k recovered. That's almost 10%

>> No.14805099

>>14804649
I like to interpret the ending as a bittersweet, defiant and begrudging acceptance of his mortality. Gilgamesh despairs but he carries on anyways, but that's just my (biased) take.

Read The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoi.