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this page needs some sub headings, and also a mention of The streets' song named Memento Mori
== Comment by 72.242.22.194 ==
"The genre was little used in [[classical antiquity]]; there, the chief thrust of ''memento mori'' was the theme of ''[[carpe diem]]'', or "seize the day." This carries echoes of the admonishment to "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die", the language of which originates in Isaiah 22:13: "Eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!" ([[New American Bible]] translation). The thought appears elsewhere in Roman literature: [[Horace]]'s ''[[Ode]]s'' include the well known line ''Nunc est bibendum, nunc pede libero pulsanda tellus.'' (Now is the time to drink, now the time to dance footloose upon the earth.) Horace goes on to explain that now is the time because there will be no drinking or dancing in the [[afterlife]], a classic example of the ''carpe diem'' theme."
Comment: The previous sentence is incorrect as to the context of "nunc est bibendum." This is the start of Horace ''Odes'' 1.37, where the cause for celebration is NOT one's own impending mortality, but rather the death of Cleopatra. cf. [[http://www.thelatinlibrary.com/horace/carm1.shtml]], next-to-last poem on the page. Closer to the author's intent is Horace's famous "carpe diem" in ''Odes'' 1.11, where the point is not that there is no celebration in the afterlife (a thought that strikes me as more from the Psalms than from Horace) but rather that life should be enjoyed before it ends. The distinction is subtle but important, as Horace makes no claims here about the nature of the afterlife. <small>—The preceding [[Wikipedia:Sign your posts on talk pages|unsigned]] comment was added by [[User:72.242.22.194|72.242.22.194]] ([[User talk:72.242.22.194|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/72.242.22.194|contribs]]){{#if:{{{2|}}}| {{{2}}}|}}.</small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->
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