Speaking of openings referring death, I particularly like the one on The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, from Machado de Assis: "To the worm who first gnawed

Speaking of openings referring death, I particularly like the one on The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, from Machado de Assis: "To the worm who first gnawed on the cold flesh of my corpse, I dedicate with fond remembrance these Posthumous Memoirs" PS: it's not exactly an opening line, it's a dedication. But I think it performs the same function in this case.