The Most Beautiful Will in the World

When an unknown man of letters published this piece, it stirred the feelings of everyone who read it. In our view it is the most beautiful will in the world, and so we present it to the readers...

I, the undersigned, Charles Lounsbury, sound of body and mind, declare that this is my will.

"I wish to make no provision concerning that part of my property which the law recognizes as belonging to me, for I consider it of no importance.

"And whereas my right to life is a possession that endures only for the span of a man's days, I cannot dispose of it; but all that remains I shall divide and distribute.

"I bequeath to good fathers and mothers — and I charge them with responsibility for this trust toward their children — all the tender words that overflow with affection, that they may resort to using them every time their children need them.

"I bequeath to all children, for the whole length of their childhood, everything that exists in the world: the flowers of the fields, and the forests, with the right to play among them in full freedom after the custom of children, warning them only of the brambles and the thorns.

And I grant them likewise the banks of the streams, and the gilded sands over which the clear waters flow, and the fragrance of the willow whose branches are wetted by the watercourse, and the white clouds that float very high above the crowns of the great trees. And I leave to the children, that they may find gladness and delight, the long days, and the moonlit nights, that they may marvel and wonder,

subject to the rights granted, hereafter, to lovers.

"And I bequeath to all boys the many spacious playing fields where they can play ball, and I bequeath to them the limpid waters where they can swim, and all the snow-clad knolls and hills where they can sled, and all the streams and lakes where they can fish, and, later on, skate upon them when the cold, harsh winter comes. I likewise bequeath to them all the meadows with their flowers and butterflies, and the beautiful woods with their squirrels, and birds, and echoes, and strange sounds, and all the solitary places where adventure may be sought. And I bequeath as well to each of these boys his place by the hearth, at the hour when night falls, with all the pictures he sees dancing in the flames...

"And I bequeath to lovers their imaginary world, with all they need of stars, and sky, and red roses adorning the walls, and hawthorn trees with opening buds, and wondrous strains of music, and everything their souls desire, that they may be able to describe the strength of their love and the magic of that love... each to the other.

"And I bequeath to all young men the athletic contests, and I plant in their souls hatred of weakness and injustice, and absolute confidence in their own strength, even should it make them harsh. And I grant them the power to form firm friendships and to keep company with good comrades, and I bequeath to them alone all the merry songs and the musical choruses, that they may be able to raise them with hearts brimming with joy.

"As for all those who have crossed the threshold of childhood and youth, and all those who are not lovers, I leave them memories, and I bequeath to them the diwans of all the poets, that it may be given to them, until the end of their days, to live anew, and in full freedom, the fleeting days, without feeling the advance of age.

"And as for all those we love, whom the years have crowned with white hair, I bequeath to them the happiness of old age, and love, and the esteem of their children, until they lie down for their last sleep."