Isaac Asimov [death likened to crossing a bridge under fire from an archer]

Cafe Society
1

Hello Everyone,
I hope someone can help me. I remember reading an Isaac Asimov science essay or a foreword or afterword to one of his short stories. It concerns an old fable about death.
Every newborn starts at one end of a bridge and they begin to walk across. Death is an archer at the other end and he shoots arrows toward the walkers. He hits very few as they begin to walk but the closer they walk toward the other side the archer hits more and more, his aim getting better. No one ever makes it to the other side.
Anyone know what book this appeared in?
I’ve looked through all the books I have of his and Googled it but no luck.
Thanks in advance

2

Try THE SLOWLY MOVING FINGER, in OF TIME AND SPACE AND OTHER THINGS.

3

Thanks, I’ll look for it at the public library.

4

Paging Asimovian!

5

I have no idea why you think I’d be of any use here. cough

Actually, I am of no use here since this doesn’t ring any bells with me. But I deeply appreciate the OP’s username, as that is by far my favorite novella.

6

I’ve read a lot of Asimov and that analogy rings no bells. (As as aside, I’ve always used a “sniper” as my representation of the Grim Reaper.)

7

Yep.

8

I just assumed you were a Bulgarian from Simov.

9

Bingo.

“… Death is an archer and life is a bridge. Children begin to cross the bridge gaily, skipping along and growing older, while Death shoots at them. …”

10

That was worth re-reading. Thank you.

11

Moved to Cafe Society, and title edited to be more specific.

Colibri
General Questions Moderator

12

Your addition to the original title(“death likened to crossing a bridge under fire from an archer”) sounds like the title of a Harlan Ellison story.

13

I don’t think I’ve read that essay since the late '70s or early '80s; like Czarcasm said: thank you for bringing it up, OP; that was totally worth re-reading.

14

I don’t believe I’ve said anything to contradict that…

15

Funny, you don’t look Bulgarian.

16

A bit melon-collie, though, given that we know how “scared of getting old and dying” Asimov did go–at the low end of that 70 to 80 years, from AIDS.

17

Pish tosh. I am merely tan from my days sunning on the Bulgarian beaches.

Quality essay from Asimov. A shame he didn’t get to make it to 115. His observations about current times would be pretty interesting.

18

In my youth I made a foolish vow to read every single thing he ever wrote…and it turned out to be the smartest “foolish” thing I ever did.

19

Thanks everyone for your comments.
I made it a goal to have every book The Good Doctor wrote. I had a heck of a collection at one time. All his fiction and all of his science essays and all his histories. When I started to thin my books from my house a lot of books went to small town libraries and assisted living places.
I got rid of all his science essay books because science marches forward. Having science books that are 40 to 50 years out of date didn’t seem like a good use of bookshelves.

20

And I thought he was like a color, shade of purple-gray.