Cazotte

Amidst the exuberant feast, thoughtful he sat,
Alone, abandoned by his frantic friends,
And to the far, unknowable distance of the future
He looked with his spiritual sight.
And, I remember, full of sadness,
Among the clatter of goblets, exclamations, speeches,
Celebratory songs, and loud laughter of guests,
His words were heard, the words of a prophet.
He spoke: "Cheer up, my friends!
Why would you care about the fate of our senescent world?
There is an axe hanging over your heads,
But what's that to you? I alone shall see it falling."

1840