In his soul’s essence I could first behold
What is the essential kernel of a man;
And how a man’s peculiarities
In earthly life do manifest themselves
As consequences of some former life.
I saw the struggles that he overcame,
Which in his other lives had origin,
And which have shaped his present mode of life.
I could not see his death-discarded selves
With my soul’s vision, yet I did perceive