The true men of old

Knew no lust for life,

No dread of death.

Their entrance was without gladness,

Their exit, younger,

Without resistance.

Easy come, easy go.

They did not forget where from,

Nor ask where to,

Nor drive grimly forward

Fighting their way through life.

They took life as it came, gladly;

Took death as it came, without care;

And went away, yonder,

Yonder!

Minds free, thoughts gone

Brows clear, faces serene.

Where they cool? Only cool as autumn.

Where they hot? No hotter than spring.

All that came out of them

Came quiet, like the four seasons.

Chuang Tzu, translated by Thomas Merton, The Way of Chuang Tzu