Immerse: Poets Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 275
10:10–11:3
E cclesiastes
Using a dull ax requires great strength,
so sharpen the blade.
That’s the value of wisdom;
it helps you succeed.
If a snake bites before you charm it,
what’s the use of being a snake charmer?
Wise words bring approval,
but fools are destroyed by their own words.
Fools base their thoughts on foolish assumptions,
so their conclusions will be wicked madness;
they chatter on and on.
No one really knows what is going to happen;
no one can predict the future.
Fools are so exhausted by a little work
that they can’t even find their way home.
What sorrow for the land ruled by a servant,
the land whose leaders feast in the morning.
Happy is the land whose king is a noble leader
and whose leaders feast at the proper time
to gain strength for their work, not to get drunk.
Laziness leads to a sagging roof;
idleness leads to a leaky house.
A party gives laughter,
wine gives happiness,
and money gives everything!
Never make light of the king, even in your thoughts.
And don’t make fun of the powerful, even in your own
bedroom.
For a little bird might deliver your message
and tell them what you said.
Send your grain across the seas,
and in time, profits will flow back to you.
But divide your investments among many places,
for you do not know what risks might lie ahead.
When clouds are heavy, the rains come down.
Whether a tree falls north or south, it stays where it falls.
263
