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Those who perch on this false world and then go out

Those who perch on this false world and then go out,
They never speak nor send any news at all;
Those on whose graves all sorts of grass and weeds sprout,
They never speak nor send any news at all.

Some of them have trees that grow beside their graves,
Some are covered with weeds that wither in waves:
There lie innocent youths, fair maidens, and braves.
They never speak nor send any news at all.

In the ground, their tender flesh has turned to dust;
Buried in deep silence, their sweet tongues hold fast.
Come, mention their names in your prayers–you must.
They never speak nor send any news at all.

Some died young: never lived beyond life’s threshold;
Some wore crowns that their heads could no longer hold.
When they died, some were six or seven years old.
They never speak nor send any news at all.

Be they revered teacher or greedy trader,
Drinking Death’s nectar came harder and harder,
Be they white-bearded or religious leader:
They never speak nor send any news at all.

Yunus says: “All this is done by Fate alone.”
From their eyes, all their brows and lashes are gone;
To mark their place there is only a headstone.
They never speak nor send any news at all.