Saturday, January 4, 2020

TESTAMENT

"For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow."  (Ecclesiastes 1 : 18 ESV)

I admire the ability of so many people
To possess such strong opinions.
They know everything about everything,
Hurling their lethal harpoons like Olympians
From some golden age when no one suffered
And perfection prevailed in a flawless arcadia.

As for me, I know nothing.
All my life I have studied –
I queried and probed
The writings of geniuses;
I meditated on the scriptures
Of ancient religions;
I considered the science
Of the pioneers and the moderns;
I luxuriated in the words
Of literary heroes and heroines;
I applied myself
To poetic expressions of feelings.
And, yet, I must conclude
That I know nothing.

So I am the worst of men -
A mere shell that has no content,
As hollow as the home of a dead mollusc.