Why does Thy gift keep me in constant suspense;— Thy spiritual wine, that still charms ev’ry sense. A beggar from me’s wine in fermentation! Spheres lessons take from me in revolution! With me wine gets drunk; I get not drunk with it. From me body grows; I spring thence not one bit. We’re bees, all of us; and our bodies, the wax; With it we build cells to conceal our dark tracks. 270 These considerations would grow longer still. We’ll turn to our merchant. We left him so ill. He thus, lamentations, sad groans, sadder moans, Shot forth, with sighs, burning;--grieved hearts’ crater-stones. Complaints, contradictions, petitions, like words, Now literal, then keen metaphors, sharp as swords. The drowning, ’tis known to each one who breath draws, To save threatened life, will, though vain, grasp at straws; In hopes that some aid to his rescue will come, He struggles, he flounders, he thinks of his home. 275 His sweetheart takes pleasure his struggles to see; An effort’s more noble than despondency. A bridegroom is, surely, not quite free from cares. His moans we expect not. Pain’s not what he fears. The reason this, why the Lord’s blest scripture says: “Each day He’s engaged in some one of His ways.”[235] Therefore thou, my dear son, thyself still exert Until thy last breath. Seek not toil to avert. Then, at the last moment, the time may have come, When favor ’ll be shown thee for all thou hast done. 280 How much, and how long, strives the soul of each man, The king’s at the window;--hear, see all, he can. Our merchant the parrot cast out from his cage. The parrot flew up; on a tree took high stage. The bird that was thought dead, now swift flew away. His course like the sun’s from the morn to midday. The merchant sore marvelled at his flying bird; Could not understand it; thought: “What has occurred?” Then cried, looking upwards: “Come, pretty Poll mine! Relate all about this freak strangest of thine. 285 What was that bird’s game, there, of whom then thou spokest? What trick was ’t he played? Grief in me thou awokest.” The parrot him answered: “He taught me the trick. He came and said: ‘Free thyself now. Up! Be quick!’ No sooner had sounded thy voice in his ears, He, as was agreed on, fell dead, it appears. As much as to say, here, to me in my cage: ‘Thou death counterfeit; so thou savest thy old age.’”