编者按：《死亡诗社》里说：“诗，美，浪漫，爱，这些才是我们生存的原因。” 诗人惠特曼在诗歌里则说：“生活在其中有什么意义？啊！自我！啊！生命！回答：因为你的存在。让生命存在，使其合一；因为富有生命活力的戏剧在继续，因为你可以奉献一篇诗歌。

O Me! O Life!

O Me! O life! of the questions of these recurring,

Of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities fill'd with the foolish,

Of myself forever reproaching myself, (for who more foolish than I,

and who more faithless?)

Of eyes that vainly crave the light, of the objects mean, of the

struggle ever renew'd,

Of the poor results of all, of the plodding and sordid crowds I see

around me,

Of the empty and useless years of the rest, with the rest me

intertwined,

The question, O me! so sad, recurring-What good amid these, O me,

O life?

Answer.

That you are here-that life exists and identity,

That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.