ÉLAN VITAL

   That conscious spark, that flame—Élan Vital,
   Igniting into life and breath and being,
   That will at first excite and then appall
   When Death arrives, from which no flame is fleeing:
   That vital essence is a mystery,
   A marvel in this universe of dust—
   That anything alive could come to be
   May lead us to believe and even trust
   That something wonderful, some guiding force
   And not mere randomness is our true source.

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