Life And Death

Sometimes we comment on the content and quality of Poul Anderson's writing. Other times, we comment on life or death with Anderson's words as our starting point, as in the previous post. But Anderson gives us many such starting points. 

We must each have a personal response to the idea of only having thirty minutes worth of oxygen left. I express mine and others might express theirs. I disagree with Dylan Thomas:

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

-copied from here.

I do not want to rage. Thomas' other approach is better:

And death shall have no dominion.
Dead men naked they shall be one
With the man in the wind and the west moon;
When their bones are picked clean and the clean bones gone,
They shall have stars at elbow and foot;
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.

-copied from here.

I do not believe that they shall rise again. However, this second poem:

is a magnificent affirmation of life and continuance;

provided a title for James Blish;

fully expresses the spirit of Poul Anderson, maybe particularly as displayed in Tau Zero.