APAD: To die with one's boots on.

Meaning: originally to die violently but often used today to describe a person

who dies while still active.

 

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Trying to jump on the bandwagon of poetry, I, an eternal imposter, on the

proverb arranged my thoughts below.

 

    We Chinese avoid the topic like a plague

    and would shun death itself if only we could.

    In the west, the subject seems much less taboo.

    I used to laugh at the ancient Greek notion

    that the best way to go is to die in battle.

    Many moons passed since I heard it

    and nowadays on the idea I am almost sold.

    As we live in a much less martial world,

    to check out with one's boots on sounds not bad at all.

 

Forget it. I'm no poet after all :-)

所有跟帖： 

• Because of the influence of Christianity, Western culture is -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 09:28:02

• less taboo about death. -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 09:28:30

• the Estern should also believe in reincarnation; -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:56:09

• doubted how much faith -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:57:10

• The faith is strong but the flesh is weak :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 11:27:20

• It could be but the Greeks & Romans were pagans BC... -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 09:32:58

• The Old Testament of the Bible was written in B.C. -盈盈一笑间- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 09:41:42

• That's true. Too bad for those races w/o sagas to pass on:-( -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 11:23:58

• A good write with a great sense of humor. Love it! -CBA7- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 09:54:21

• Thank you. I appreciate it. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 11:13:07

• Remembered one words of the 500 Spartans against -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:13:32

• 100000 Persian Army ---Today !!! we die -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:15:19

• Nice! Ur English is so superb, poems only need time&ryhme -暖冬cool夏- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:19:01

• Thank you, 暖冬, as always. So there's hope :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 11:14:51

• 哈哈哈哈，In a much less martial world, -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:25:02

• Jiu-Jitsu to make dream come true -移花接木- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 10:25:26

• It might indeed. But I'll settle for our proverb as default. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 11:16:23

• Closest Chinese: 鞠躬尽瘁 死而后已。生命不息，战斗不止。but still not the same -方外居士- ♂ (34 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 12:29:02

• The main diff is the attitude to death. -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 12:29:47

• Any cultural lessons in there? :-) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 12:37:49

• In Chinese: Life stop at death. In eng, life does not stop -方外居士- ♂ (37 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 12:43:56

• At death -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 12:44:24

• That sounds only Marxian Chinese, a blip in history. -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 13:09:24

• Marxian is part of western culture on different root from -方外居士- ♂ (24 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 13:52:03

• And with Buddhism, the Chinese started to believe in samsara -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 14:16:44

• samsara Is not the same as life does not stop at death -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 14:42:40

• It took 1000 yrs for Buddhism to be accepted by Chinese. And -方外居士- ♂ (736 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 14:46:53

• 1k years seems too short. Another 10k will fix it:) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 15:40:34

• You are absolutely right! -方外居士- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 16:48:59

• Nice poem! -waterfowl- ♂ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 16:37:35

• Thanks. Couldn’t help trying:) -7grizzly- ♀ (0 bytes) () 09/27/2023 postreply 17:13:52