Am I not good to you. I, being not a religious man, but being fairly well aware what constitutes a piece of good writing and what doesn't, bring to you this chapter from the Bible. That's not for me you might say, but wait. If the whole good book is a waste of paper, then this one chapter is definitely a keeper. I'll let you read it first, and even though you might know of it already, I'm doubtful whether you truly understand what it's about. That's because it's allegory, and it was crafted by a master wordsmith!
Ecclesiastes
OR, THE PREACHER - 12
1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 while the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 in the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 and the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low;
5 also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.
7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.
Now I'm trying to recall this from memory, as I can't locate a clearer explanation on the Net than the one that was give to me many years ago. The whole passage is an allegory on the failings of old age. Let me just point out these thoughts to you, then read it through again, you'll see what I mean:
- For keepers of the house, think "arms"
- The strong men shall bow themselves, think of "legs and back"
- For grinders, think "teeth"
- For windows, substitute "eyes"
- Doors shut in the streets - "hearing"
- Sound of the grinding is low - "the voice"
- For golden bowl, "the skull"
- The pitcher, "blood"
- The wheel at the cistern, "the heart"
- Man's long home is "the grave"
I might have erred on some of these points, but the allegory of death is so powerful, you can see why the Freemasons place such value on this passage. When you think how long ago this must have been written, whoever wrote it and whatever their message, it is indeed a wonderfully written allegorical piece.
