The waves of Lethe wash till we forget
Our earthy life and love; and 'twould appear
Before Time's tune possessed us, before we
Let fall the shadow of our meaning here -
Oh, it would seem that in another Lethe
We had been dipped as Death will dip us, to
Wash out the memory of ourselves, as though
Each stage had its own livery, and we threw
Off the old meaning, like the garments that,
Worn and occasion-soiled, men doff when they
Have to look natural in another sphere.