The destruction of the body by fire —

what a cleanly, sanitary, dignified,

yes, heroic conception that was,

compared with abandoning it

to the miserable processes

of decay and assimilation

by the lower forms of life!

For what the fire destroyed

was the more perishable part of the body,

the elements which

even during one’s life

were got rid of by metabolism;

whereas those which

accompanied man through life,

taking least share in the process of change,

those became the ashes,

and with them

the survivors possessed

the deceased’s imperishable part.

(Settembrini from The Magic Mountain)