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Poetry · Chapter
CXCVIII explained
A brief meditation on how an old man, perceived as bald and bent in life, reveals his true dignity in the presence of Death by uncovering and bowing.
What happens
A brief meditation on how an old man, perceived as bald and bent in life, reveals his true dignity in the presence of Death by uncovering and bowing.
Themes in this chapter
Mortality and Regret
The chapter reflects on the confrontation with Death and the dignity it evokes.
Characters to notice
- Death
Death is the presence before whom the old man uncovers and bows.
Key passages
“You would say of that old man: 'He is bald and bent.' No; in the presence of Death he uncovers and bows.”
One might describe the old man as bald and stooped, but when facing Death, he removes his hat and bows with respect.
The contrast between mundane perception and the solemnity of mortality.