The Fırst Part

Summary

Through praise of wisdom and intelligence

Shall grant the simple wit and sapience^a

Cynic and Author here are seen

Discussing: their debate is keen

THE CYNIC cites the world's hard saw, to taunt

Those who would wisdom's might o’er evil vaunt,

And reckon penury is all the pay

That fools earn. ‘Highbrows’, he goes on to say,

‘Though ne’er so wise, wear out; no scholar's skill

Saves him from exile, or from falling ill;

A child born poor, whose birthright is his wit,

Must lead an uneventful life, for it

Will not protect, nor knowledge riches yield:^b

Want darkens wisdom's light, its shading shield

Poverty takes away^c—all must await

(Wise though they be, or fools) a single fate.^d

In Holy Writ the evidence we find

Clear to be seen, by one in his right mind;

Townsfolk a poor man's sound advice contemned,^e

A king in Babylon to death condemned

All his wise men, whose fault was, they could not

Explain the dream that he himself forgot.^f

Fools, on the other hand, at court reside

Or in some magnate's house, who will provide

Their commons—each street-corner^g is the haunt

Of dolts who, roistering, their valour vaunt,

And, careless, eat away. Wouldst thou, forsooth,

Make boast of knowledge, or the love of truth,

Know that thine own lot must the fool's equate,h

And hear this story of his tragic fate.

An ancient parable, I have heard tell,

Records that once in Egypt there did dwell

A man who, shrewd enough in his affairs—

Not modest, nor one given much to prayers—

Had fallen on ill times: though sons he had,

At making ends meet, they were just as bad,^j

For all his honesty and intellect.

Things hid from science^k strove he to detect,

Scant though his food and drink, midst moans and groans,

Knowing the Lord's affliction in his bones.^l

His lads the while would go from house to house

Begging a crust, with many a sigh and grouse^m

To see their neighbours smirk, self-satisfied

At his ill fortune. “Fie on him”, they cried,

“And his philosophy, that would expose

Life's secret! Long ago, as he well knows,

The prophet warned, in words of Holy Writ,

Let not the wise man boast him of his wit.”ⁿ