Dear Friends
Now I've walked these long shores, these many long years,
And seen a few things of which I may tell.
But ne'er a tale did I e'er utter,
That showed me the end of my road.
So I tell ye all here of my greatest fear,
I have stood on the brink of the Abyss and peered into it's depths,
And I have peered at my own mortality.
No man on this Earth, no matter his strength,
Can ever defeat such an opponent.
For three score and ten, or maybe a bit longer,
Will he fend off the inexorable Fate of his Foe.
But in the end, he will fail, it's sure,
Under the ultimate blow that will take him.
But until that day he may roam here and speak of,
His will, his love, and his spirit.
Let him love a fair maiden, good bread and good wine,
And sing out his soul without fear.
So!
Come on! ye old whores,
And come on! ye old sailors!
Let's drink! And let's sing of our loves.
Come on! ye old maties!
And come on! ye old foes!
For in the end we are all equal.
Life deals us our fates,
But nothing so final,
As the fate of our Ultimate Foe.
So!
Come on! my old lover,
Come on! my old enemy!
Let us dance this night, and forever.
For in the morn, I shall be gone,
Ne'er to drift on these seas e'er more.
Sail your fine ships!
Sail off into glory,
But sail away without me.
For my tale is told,
My wine mug stands drained.
Dear friends, this is the end of my story.
