Qais

A fortnight has passed since someone died. One should visit the sick, they say, there is great reward in it; the reward is multiplied when one visits the dead. So, going to a funeral is a greater reward, knowing full-well that the dead person will never come to mine. When a man of simple taste has a stroke—a stroke of luck—and the dead visit him, how much reward does that carry? They talk, their perorate is filled with platitude, and they refuse to vacate.

They always stand to attention, retrousse proboscis, and the rueful gesticulations. A true auteur who wishes to conquer eternity.