Zwei Lieder nach Worten von Pascal

Despite these miseries, man wishes to be happy, 
and only wishes to be happy, and cannot wish not to be so.
But how will he set about it? To be happy he would have to
make himself immortal. But, not being able to do so, 
it has occurred to him to prevent himself from thinking of death.

The only thing which consoles us 
for our miseries is diversion, 
and yet this is the greatest of our miseries. 
For it is this which principally hinders us 
from reflecting upon ourselves, 
and which makes us insensibly ruin ourselves. 
Without this we should be in a state of weariness, 
and this weariness would spur us 
to seek a more solid means of escaping from it. 
But diversions amuse us and lead us unconsciously to death.