Whatsoever thy hand attaineth to do by thy strength, that do; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
כֹּ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּמְצָ֧א יָֽדְךָ֛ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת בְּכֹחֲךָ֖ עֲשֵׂ֑ה כִּי֩ אֵ֨ין מַעֲשֶׂ֤ה וְחֶשְׁבּוֹן֙ וְדַ֣עַת וְחָכְמָ֔ה בִּשְׁא֕וֹל אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתָּ֖ה הֹלֵ֥ךְ שָֽׁמָּה׃
And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; …
Before long, alas! this body will lie on the earth, despised, without understanding, like a useless log.
You have crossed the great ocean; why do you halt so near the shore? make haste to get on the other side; Gautama, &c.
That man can have nothing but what he strives for; That (the fruit of) his striving will soon come in sight: Then will he be rewarded with a reward complete;
The philosopher Tsang being ill, Meng Chang went to ask how he was. Tsang said to him, "When a bird is about to die, its notes are mournful; when a man is about to die, his words are good. …
He turned to his wife and said, "O dame, / The harvest of December is not as that of July; / Though they be dead or though they be living, / Are they not equally visible to the eyes of the heart? / I behold them clearly before me, / Wherefore should I disfigure my countenance like you? / Though they have gone forth by revolution of fortune, / They are with me still, playing round me. …