Let Men Die

When I die, let there be no mourners

let there be no people to shed tears

Let a celebration ensue, to cherish the life I led

A tribute to the years, I contently spent

Let each one, remember me by the songs I sang

or evoke the words I wrote for him

Let each one, smile like they did

when the reason for that smile I had become

Let my words from the grave let the ones I loved know

that I loved them in life, and from beyond

Let there be no lad or maiden whom

I have left with unspoken words in my heart

I wish not to die, without telling someone I loved them

I wish not to die, without spending my last day being a smile

My only fear, which keeps me alive

is to die, and not leave a legacy behind

Let me have the strength, to start each year anew

let me be brave, to let go the grey and embrace the blue

Let my words, live beyond me in hearts and books

making me immortal, so I be above the grief of my death

Let me die content, with all I had

for I know there’s not much to be desired

So when I enter the heart, of those who cry

to ask them what mistake I made to die

Let my mourners, wear a smiles on lips and hearts on sleeves

for there would be no greater homage, no tribute better for me

Let those who cry, be seated at the back

who enter late and leave early, and did not wish to be attached

Alas! I do not want such men to tread my memorial day

in life I could not do away with them, I wish to be rid in death

Let no man whose only wish is to mark an attendance see my pyre

let none see me rise, my fall was whose desire

And let all be intoxicated, not with malt but with life

to revel with my kind of being high

For I had neither sorrow nor diffidence to veil behind liquor

Nor I thought it just, to be merry only with a hangover

Let them dance to the tunes of life

and not on music created by the world otherwise

Let men learn, to work harder and dance slower

let men learn to hear the music, before the song is over

Let men move forward, without the fear of success

for defeat never wrought panic, anxiety or distress

Let men strive each time, as it was their first

let uncertainty of result be the guide, of risks and action

And let men know, what virtue lies in the art of waiting

for it is not patience to wait, but it lies in the skill of the offing

Patience is what men do, when they choose to wait

do they wait for the goal to come, or they push it further away

Let men die, knowing what I learnt in life

let men die, as content and gay as I

Let a celebration ensue, to cherish the life they led

A tribute to the years, they contently spent

- Vishal Gupta

November 1^st, 2012