7.Date

This chapter is a brief interlude consisting only of an epigraph from Herman Melville about mortality and the relationship between human and divine lifespans. It serves as a thematic header for the section that follows.

The chapter contains a single quotation attributed to Herman Melville: 'I leave eternity to Thee; for what is man that he should live out the life-time of his God?' This epigraph reflects on the finite nature of human existence in contrast to the eternal or vastly extended existence of divine beings, raising questions about the appropriate span of life and the relationship between mortal and immortal perspectives.