Original artwork, not a still
Cato ‧ 1712
What a pity is it That we can die but once to save our country!
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The speaker laments, with earnest patriotic passion, that a person can die only once. Willingness to give one's life for the country is so complete that a single death feels too little, and the pity is that sacrifice has a limit.
Context reviewed
