I would to heaven that I were so much clay,
As I am blood, bone, marrow, passion, feeling -
Because at least the past were passed away -
And for the future - (but I write this reeling,
Clay as in what one’s body becomes after decomposition, here it seems Byron partly wishes to die to escape this onslaught of emotions and partly asks to become something more inanimate and insensate (clay), something that cannot be wildly blown by the whims of “passion” and “feeling.”
Headpiece to Don Juan I would to Heaven