Living
Epigram XL
Translated by Paul Elmer More (1898) · From A Century of Indian Epigrams (1898)
Living
This have I done, and that will do,
And this half-done must carry through
So busied, bustling, full of care,
Poor fools, Death pounces on us unaware.
To-day is thine, fulfill its work,
Let no loose hour her duty shirk;
Still ere thy task is done, comes Death,
The Finisher, — he ends it with thy breath.
Cite this poem
MLA
Bhartrihari. “Epigram XL.” Translated by Paul Elmer More. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/bhartrihari/38/.
Chicago
Bhartrihari. “Epigram XL.” Translated by Paul Elmer More. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/bhartrihari/38/.
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