Rhyming Ecclesiastes: Chapter 7

Rhyming Ecclesiastes: Chapter 7

A good name is, to fine perfume, preferred,
the day of death, o’er that, the day of birth.
A house that mourns, it’s better to go there,
than to one where abundant food is shared,
for everyone, their destiny is death;
the living, this, should on their hearts, impress.
Preferred to laughter, be, frustration should,
a face that’s sad, it, for the heart, is good.
The heart of wise men in the house that mourns,
but fools, the house of pleasure, to there, borne.
To listen to a person’s, wise, rebuke
preferred to list’ning to the song of fools.
Like crackling thorns that ‘neath the pot will burn
so too, fools’ laughter, that is what is heard.
This also, something meaningless for sure.

Extortion will, into a fool, convert
a person, wise; how bribes corrupt the heart.

A matter’s end preferred to when it starts,
and patience better than a prideful heart.
Don’t be provoked, within your spirit, fast,
where anger will reside with fools: their laps.

Don’t say, “Why were the old days better than
these?” For it’s not wise to, such questions, ask.

Like an inheritance is wisdom good,
and benefits those ‘neath the sun at noon.
A shelter, that, the purpose wisdom serves,
for just like money, shelter, it ensures,
but knowledge, this advantage over wealth:
who has it, wisdom will preserve them well.

Consider these, the things that God has done:

what he’s made crooked, straighten it, who can?
When times are good, be happy, but when bad,
consider this: both bad and good, God made.
Thus, no one can discover anything
about their future. Both of these I’ve seen,
in this, my life, that’s always meaningless:
the righteous perish in their righteousness,
the wicked live long in their wickedness.

So don’t be overrighteous, overwise–
and through it, you’d destroy yourself, but why?
Do not be overwicked or a fool–
why should you die before your time’s unspooled?
It’s good to grasp the one, and not let go
the other one, of that, both, you should know.
Whoe’er fears God, extremes, all, will avoid.

When just one person, wisdom, they’ve employed,
more power than ten rulers’ multiplied,
within a city. No one here who’s right,
on earth, none righteous, no one never sins.

Each word that people say, do not attend,
or you may hear your servant cursing you–
for you know in your heart your anger grew,
and you, for others, curses your mouth spewed.

All this, by wisdom, tested and I said,

“To wisdom, gain, I am determinèd”–
but this was something that was me, beyond.
Whate’er exists, far off and most profound–
who can discover it? So, how I turned
my mind to understand, investigate
and search out wisdom, how things are arranged,
of wickedness, to understand its trait:
stupidity, and folly’s madness, great.

I find its bitterness, death’s, greater than:
the woman who’s a snare, whose heart’s a trap,
and chains, what she would have in place of hands.
The man who pleases God will, her, escape,
but she’ll ensnare the sinner. “Look,” he says,
the Teacher, “this, what I’ve discoverèd:

“One thing upon another, that I’d add,
the scheme of things, so I’d discover that–
while I still searched, but never did I find–
a thousand men, ‘mongst them, just one upright,
but not one woman, upright, ‘mongst them all.
This only have I found, what’s actual:
God, upright, man, created, but they’ve gone
in search of many schemes and diff’rent cons.”