Death is a Dialogue between 1
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death－The Spirit "Sir
I have another Trust"－
Death doubts it－Argues from the Ground－5
The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.
The Spirit and the Dust.
"Dissolve" says Death－The Spirit "Sir
I have another Trust"－
Death doubts it－Argues from the Ground－5
The Spirit turns away
Just laying off for evidence
An Overcoat of Clay.
(F.973/J.976)
[1] Death:: dead end in a conversation. This poem is a conversation between a spirit-rapper and his assistance, who does not believe they have a new customer.
[2] Spirit:: a spirit-rapper. Dust:: a dead body; spirit-rappers claim that they can talk to the dead.
[3] Death:: the spirit-rapper's assistant, who plays the role of the dead. Dissolve:: to end the partnership.
[4] Trust:: a client of the spirit-rapper.
[5] doubts:: the assistant does not believe the spirit-rapper. Ground:: the assistant hides under the ground.
[8] Overcoat of Clay:: the clothes of the dead, which is required for the spirit-rapping.
Like the heathen necromancer, the spirit-rapper, if that designation be correct, pretends to evoke the dead, and bring secrets from the invisible world. The two performers, ancient and modern, are certainly akin. Their object is the same. Any small difference in the mode of operation is simply an accident of the times. The modern, for example, is more sociable. ─ The United Presbyterian Magazine (1859)