The Decay of the Angel - Yukio Mishima

forth music so beautiful that no musician, no orchestra
or chorus can imitate it; but as death approaches the
music fades and the voice becomes tense and thin.
In normal times, day and night, there floods from
within an angel a light that permits of no shadows; but
as death approaches the light dwindles sharply and
the body is wrapped in thin shadows.
The skin of an angel is smooth and well anointed,
and even if it immerses itself in a lake of ambrosia it
throws off the liquid as does the leaf of a lotus; but as
death approaches, water clings and will not leave.
At most times an angel, like a spinning wheel of
fire, neither stops nor is apprehensible in one place, it
is there when it is here, it dodges and moves and
throws itself free; but when death approaches, it
lingers in one spot and cannot break free.
An angel exudes unblinking strength, but as death
approaches the strength departs and blinking
becomes incessant.
Here are the five greater signs: the onceimmaculate
robes are soiled, the flowers in the
flowery crown fade and fall, sweat pours from the
armpits, a fetid stench envelops the body, the angel is
no longer happy in its proper place.
It will be seen that the other sources enumerate the
greater signs. So long as only the lesser ones are