Old man
Old man
Hereis a picture of an old man, walking in the woods, and a little bird, on the tree, seems to be speaking to him. What do you think the little bird says tothe old man? I will try to tell you. Thus speaks the little bird:
“Come, good old man, and speak to me,For I am young and thou art old;Full many a year hath passed o’er thee,And many a tale of wisdom told.Give me thy counsel, aged wight;For here the hawk doth prowl by day,And many a cruel owl by night—Seeking on little birds to prey.Oh, tell me how these things to shun,Or teach me where to find some zone,Beneath a far-off southern sun,Where hawks and owls are all unknown.”Thus urged, the old monk spake: “Sweet thing,I love to list thy pretty words,And gather from thy twittering,That there is wisdom with the birds.And I will give thee counsel true,And if thou heed my word with care,In pleasures ever sweet and new,Thy life shall pass—but, bird, beware!Far o’er the deep an islet lone,Is circled by the briny wave;No grief or sorrow there is known,No grisly death, no ghastly grave.Depart and win with earnest flight,This peaceful region of the blest;But mark—a bosom fair and bright,Alone can reach that land of rest!”
“Come, good old man, and speak to me,For I am young and thou art old;Full many a year hath passed o’er thee,And many a tale of wisdom told.Give me thy counsel, aged wight;For here the hawk doth prowl by day,And many a cruel owl by night—Seeking on little birds to prey.Oh, tell me how these things to shun,Or teach me where to find some zone,Beneath a far-off southern sun,Where hawks and owls are all unknown.”Thus urged, the old monk spake: “Sweet thing,I love to list thy pretty words,And gather from thy twittering,That there is wisdom with the birds.And I will give thee counsel true,And if thou heed my word with care,In pleasures ever sweet and new,Thy life shall pass—but, bird, beware!Far o’er the deep an islet lone,Is circled by the briny wave;No grief or sorrow there is known,No grisly death, no ghastly grave.Depart and win with earnest flight,This peaceful region of the blest;But mark—a bosom fair and bright,Alone can reach that land of rest!”
“Come, good old man, and speak to me,
For I am young and thou art old;
Full many a year hath passed o’er thee,
And many a tale of wisdom told.
Give me thy counsel, aged wight;For here the hawk doth prowl by day,And many a cruel owl by night—Seeking on little birds to prey.
Give me thy counsel, aged wight;
For here the hawk doth prowl by day,
And many a cruel owl by night—
Seeking on little birds to prey.
Oh, tell me how these things to shun,Or teach me where to find some zone,Beneath a far-off southern sun,Where hawks and owls are all unknown.”
Oh, tell me how these things to shun,
Or teach me where to find some zone,
Beneath a far-off southern sun,
Where hawks and owls are all unknown.”
Thus urged, the old monk spake: “Sweet thing,I love to list thy pretty words,And gather from thy twittering,That there is wisdom with the birds.
Thus urged, the old monk spake: “Sweet thing,
I love to list thy pretty words,
And gather from thy twittering,
That there is wisdom with the birds.
And I will give thee counsel true,And if thou heed my word with care,In pleasures ever sweet and new,Thy life shall pass—but, bird, beware!
And I will give thee counsel true,
And if thou heed my word with care,
In pleasures ever sweet and new,
Thy life shall pass—but, bird, beware!
Far o’er the deep an islet lone,Is circled by the briny wave;No grief or sorrow there is known,No grisly death, no ghastly grave.
Far o’er the deep an islet lone,
Is circled by the briny wave;
No grief or sorrow there is known,
No grisly death, no ghastly grave.
Depart and win with earnest flight,This peaceful region of the blest;But mark—a bosom fair and bright,Alone can reach that land of rest!”
Depart and win with earnest flight,
This peaceful region of the blest;
But mark—a bosom fair and bright,
Alone can reach that land of rest!”
Now these lines tell a fancy tale, or allegory, which has some meaning. In the first place, I wish my readers to observe that the little bird does not laugh at the old man and make fun of him, or run away from him. On the contrary, the bird seems to think that as the man is old, he has a great deal of wisdom, and is therefore capable of giving good advice.
Now the bird here shows good sense. Instead of avoiding old people, children should always love to be with them, and should always treat them with kindness, attention and respect. Old people are usually very fond of children, and they can tell them many pretty tales, and many curious things they have seen.
It seems that the bird is troubled by hawks and owls, and desires to go to some happy land where it may be free from such dangers, and may dwell in quiet and content. And the old man tells the bird, of a far-off isle, where those who are pure and good may live forever in a state of unbroken felicity. This part of the allegory means that there is a another world, in which the pure in heart may see God and dwell with Him forever in happiness.