Continue to act thus, my dear Lucilius
Set yourself free for your own sake
Gather and save your time which till lately has been forced from you
Or filched away, or merely slipped from your hands
Make yourself believe the truth of my words, that certain moments are torn from us
Some are gently removed
And that others glide beyond our reach
And that others glide beyond our reach
The most disgraceful kind of loss is due to carelessness
Furthermore, if you will pay close heed to the problem you will find the largest portion of our life passes while we are doing ill
A goodly share while we are doing nothing

[Chorus]
And the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose

What man can you show me who places any value on his time
Who reckons the worth of each day
Who understands that he is dying daily
For we are mistaken when we look forward to death
The major portion passed already
The years behind us are in death's hands therefore, do as you write me that you're doing Hold every hour in your grasp
Lay hold of today's task
And you will not need to depend so much upon tomorrow's
While we are postponing
Life speeds by
Nothing, Lucilius, is ours except time
We were entrusted by nature With the ownership of this single thing so fleeting and slippery anyone who will can oust us from possession
[Chorus]
And the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose

What fools these mortals be
They allow the cheapest and most useless things
Which can easily be replaced to be charged in the reckoning
And after they've acquired them never regard themselves in debt
When they have received some of that precious commodity
Time and yet time is the one loan which even a grateful recipient cannot repay
You may desire to know how I who preach to you so freely am practicing
I confess frankly, my expense account balances as you would expect from one who is free-handed but careful
I cannot boast that I waste nothing but I can at least tell you what I am wasting
And the cause and matter of the loss I can give you two reasons why I'm a poor man

[Chorus]
And the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose

My situation, however is the same as that of many who are reduced to slender needs Through no fault of their own
Everyone forgives them, but no one comes to their rescue
What is the state of things then?
It's this
I do not regard a man as poor
If the little which remains is enough for him
I advise you, however to keep what's really yours and you cannot begin too early
For as our ancestors believed it's too late to spare when you reach the dregs of the cask of that which remains at the bottom the amount is slight and the quality is vile
Farewell
(Farewell), (Farewell)
[Chorus]
And the whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose

The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose
The whole while we are doing that which is not to the purpose