“God be with you, my young friends.”
But the young men were not at all kind. They said, “Old fool! Why is your ugly body covered
with all these clothes?”
He said, “I am very old. I feel the cold. I cannot get warm.”
They answered, “Why have you lived so long, you ugly old man? Why don’t you die?”
The old man looked at them angrily. He said, “I live like this because I cannot find any young
man who will change with me. No young man wants to become old. So I must become older
and older. Death will not come and take me, so I go up and down the country. t am an unhappy
traveller looking for Death. I say to the ground under my feet: ‘Dear Mother Earth, let me come
in! Oh, Mother Earth, I want to lay myself down in you and rest for ever!’ But she will not be kind
to me. That is why I am old - so very old.”
He had not finished. He drew his old body up and said quietly to them, “But you speak very
unkindly to me, and that is a very bad thing. I have done nothing to hurt you. You should
speak more kindly to an old man. I have no more to say. I must go on with my long journey to
meet Death.”
One of the young men laughed. “No, you can’t do that!” he shouted. “You have just
spoken about Death. He has killed all our friends in this country. Now we are going to kill him.
Tell us where he is.”
“God be with you, my young friends.” But the young men were not at all kind. They said, “Old fool! Why is your ugly body coveredwith all these clothes?” He said, “I am very old. I feel the cold. I cannot get warm.”They answered, “Why have you lived so long, you ugly old man? Why don’t you die?” The old man looked at them angrily. He said, “I live like this because I cannot find any youngman who will change with me. No young man wants to become old. So I must become olderand older. Death will not come and take me, so I go up and down the country. t am an unhappytraveller looking for Death. I say to the ground under my feet: ‘Dear Mother Earth, let me comein! Oh, Mother Earth, I want to lay myself down in you and rest for ever!’ But she will not be kindto me. That is why I am old - so very old.” He had not finished. He drew his old body up and said quietly to them, “But you speak veryunkindly to me, and that is a very bad thing. I have done nothing to hurt you. You shouldspeak more kindly to an old man. I have no more to say. I must go on with my long journey tomeet Death.” One of the young men laughed. “No, you can’t do that!” he shouted. “You have justspoken about Death. He has killed all our friends in this country. Now we are going to kill him.Tell us where he is.”
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