Dead men are wisest, for they know
How far the roots of flowers go,
How long a seed must rot to grow.
Dead men alone bear frost and rain
On throbless heart and heatless brain,
And feel no stir of joy or pain.
Dead men alone are satiate;
They sleep and dream and have no weight,
To curb their rest, of love or hate.
Strange, men should flee their company,
Or think me strange who long to be
Wrapped in their cool immunity.
Seems to me poet doesn't believe that one can learn the art of bearing pain and pleasure or life's dualities while alive as to think that only dead can understand this and be wise.
This poem has more wisdom condensed in it than the Mahabharata.
For the dead person I have nothing to comment except to pray - 'May his/her soul rest in peace'.
The one thing we dread, is the one thing that is inevitable, accept it, and you know peace.
Strange, men should flee their company, Or think me strange who long to be Wrapped in their cool immunity. a very fine poem. tony
To follow in the footsteps of these great men that would be a great & gallant gesture.
Strange, men should flee their company, Or think me strange who long to be Wrapped in their cool immunity. great expressive 10+++++
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
Countee Cullen is envious of the dead. Cullen dealt with pain of losing love ones at an early age. Dead man are the wisest because the dead is immune to human emotions that Cullen felt.