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King Xau never drew breath;
he never sat a horse;
nor ever waged a war;
nor ever held a child.
His life a paper life;
his wife a paper wife;
his deeds but paper deeds
slender as river reeds.
What is a paper death?
Deny it of its force—
the closing of a door,
impermanent and mild.
Time is a vicious thief
and joy gives way to grief,
but paper lives remain,
unharmed, to read again.