E-text prepared by D Alexander, Juliet Sutherland, and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustration and decorations. See 31354-h.htm or 31354-h.zip: (https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/31354/pg31354-images.html) or (https://www.gutenberg.org/files/31354/31354-h.zip) DEATH by MAURICE MAETERLINCK Translated by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos New York Dodd, Mead & Company 1912 Copyright, 1911 By Maurice Maeterlinck Published, January, 1912 All rights reserved * * * * * THE WORKS OF MAURICE MAETERLINCK IN UNIFORM STYLE AND BINDING ESSAYS THE TREASURE OF THE HUMBLE WISDOM AND DESTINY THE LIFE OF THE BEE THE BURIED TEMPLE THE DOUBLE GARDEN THE MEASURE OF THE HOURS DEATH PLAYS SISTER BEATRICE AND ARDIANE AND BARBE BLEUE JOYZELLE AND MONNA VANNA THE BLUE BIRD, A FAIRY PLAY MARY MAGDALENE PELLEAS AND MELISANDE, AND OTHER PLAYS PRINCESS MALEINE THE INTRUDER, AND OTHER PLAYS AGLAVAINE AND SELYSETTE HOLIDAY EDITIONS The text in each case is an extract from one of the above mentioned books. OUR FRIEND THE DOG OLD-FASHIONED FLOWERS THE SWARM THE INTELLIGENCE OF THE FLOWERS CHRYSANTHEMUMS THE LEAF OF OLIVE THOUGHTS FROM MAETERLINCK * * * * * [Illustration: Camera Portrait by E. O. Hoppe, London] CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I OUR IDEA OF DEATH 3 II A PRIMITIVE IDEA 5 III WE MUST ENLIGHTEN AND ESTABLISH OUR IDEA OF DEATH 10 IV WE MUST RID DEATH OF THAT WHICH GOES BEFORE 12 V THE PANGS OF DEATH MUST BE ATTRIBUTED TO MAN ALONE 14 VI THE MISTAKE OF THE DOCTORS IN PROLONGING THE PANGS OF DEATH 17 VII THEIR ARGUMENTS 19 VIII THAT WHICH DOES NOT BELONG TO DEATH 21 IX THE HORRORS OF THE GRAVE ALSO DO NOT BELONG TO DEATH 25 X WHEN CONTEMPLATING THE UNKNOWN INTO WHICH DEATH HURLS US, LET US FIRST PUT RELIGIOUS FEARS FROM OUR MINDS 29 XI ANNIHILATION IMPOSSIBLE 33 XII THE SURVIVAL OF OUR CONSCIOUSNESS 37 XIII IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE 39 XIV THE SAME, CONTINUED 45 XV IF IT WERE POSSIBLE, IT WOULD NOT BE DREADFUL 48 XVI THE SURVIVAL WITHOUT CONSCIOUSNESS 51 XVII THE SAME, CONTINUED 54 XVIII THE LIMITED EGO WOULD BECOME A TORTURE 57