The Colloquy of Monos and Una (Poe)
In a conversation between two spirits, Monos and Una, they discussed their experiences of life, death, and the passage of time. Monos had died first, succumbing to a fever that left him in a state of torpor. Una, his beloved, followed him soon after.
They both observed the world around them as it continued to progress and decay, with mankind becoming more and more obsessed with knowledge and power.
As Monos lay on his deathbed, he experienced a heightened state of sensory perception, feeling both pleasure and pain, but no moral or emotional connection to the world around him. He could still sense Una's presence and love, but it was a fleeting sensation that soon faded away.
That earnest mutual love, my own Monos, which burned within our bosoms—how vainly did we flatter ourselves, feeling happy in its first upspringing, that our happiness would strengthen with its strength!
After his death, Monos' consciousness continued to exist, albeit in a diminished state, as he became more and more aware of the passage of time and the space that his body once occupied.
Years passed, and Monos' sense of being gradually disappeared, replaced by an awareness of place and time. Eventually, Una's coffin was placed in the same grave as Monos, and the two spirits were reunited in the darkness of the tomb. As time continued to pass, their consciousness faded away, leaving only the eternal presence of place and time.
The sense of being had at length utterly departed, and there reigned in its stead—instead of all things—dominant and perpetual—the autocrats Place and Time.
Throughout their conversation, Monos and Una reflected on the nature of life, death, and the human obsession with knowledge and progress. They pondered the possibility of a rebirth or regeneration for mankind, and the potential for a world where knowledge would no longer be a source of pain and suffering.