There was a man who lived a life of fire.  
Even upon the fabric of time,  
Where purple becomes orange  
And orange purple,  
This life glowed,  
A dire red stain, indelible;  
Yet when he was dead,  
He saw that he had not lived.
Stephen Crane
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/there-was-a-man-who-lived-a-life-of-fire/