Von der Flüchtigkeit des Lebens. Zwischen Leben und Tod ist nur ein kleiner Schritt
The Illusion of Long Life
The author challenges the human tendency to plan for a long life, reminding us that life is fleeting and filled with suffering.
What do you call it? A moment. In a moment we fall from one into the other. Alive in a moment, dead in a moment. People make their reckoning on very long strides: one on fifty years, another on sixty, a third on seventy, yes, even on a hundred years. Long strides are dangerous and don't always succeed. How much danger is there in a long life, and how little happiness? The longer you live, the longer you sin, the longer you suffer.
Living in Constant Readiness
We are encouraged to live each day as if it were our last, recognizing that death is an ever-present companion.
Be mindful of short steps: a moment will surely strike you; you can't know which one. For me, every one of them should be the last. Your bounds are set for you; you don't know how near they are.✦ I want to think no other way than as if I were already at the end. You must take your leave someday; you don't know when. Every day I say good night to my body when I go to bed; and because it lies down in its grave to rest, I commit my soul into God's hands—there they are parted.✦1 My heart, mark this: every moment you live is taken from your life; it only waxes and wanes by the hour; the smaller the steps it takes, the faster it runs.2 Ah, that you feel so safe from death—and yet you carry it with you everywhere!
The Body as a Grave
The author uses the metaphor of the body as a 'grave of the dead' to provoke a sense of urgency and humility regarding our physical frailty.
Isn't your body a body of death? Doesn't sin live in it?3 7.)4 the mother of death?5 Don't you feel many weaknesses, the harbingers of death? How many a sheep, how many a calf, how many a fish have you buried in yourself?6 You're a grave of the dead, and you don't think of the grave?7 Prepare yourself, prepare yourself!
The Final Glance
The chapter concludes with a solemn warning that our state at the moment of death determines our eternity, urging constant vigilance.
Wretched is the one death does not find ready: he doesn't wait for a glance. As your last glance of life leaves you, so eternity receives you.8 Keep that in mind and always be ready, for death is not far off.9 This is my advice to you.
Read the original Latin
Wie heißt er? Augenblick. In einem Augenblick fallen wir aus dem einen ins andre. Im Augenblick lebendig, im Augenblick todt. Die Menschen machen ihre Rechnung auf sehr lange Schritte, der eine auf 50, der andre auf 60, der dritte auf 70, ja wol gar auf 100 Jahr. Lange Schritte sind gefährlich und glücken nicht allzeit. Wie viel Gefahr ist beim langen Leben und wie wenig Glücks? je länger du lebst, je länger sündigst du, je länger leidest du.
Sei bedacht auf kurze Schritte: ein Augenblick trifft dich gewiß; du kannst nicht wissen, welcher. Mir soll ein jeder der letzte sein. Deine Grenzen sind dir gesetzt, du weißt nicht, wie nahe. Ich will nicht anders denken als wenn ich schon am Ziel wäre. Deinen Abschied mußt du einmal nehmen, weißt nicht wann. Ich gebe täglich meinem Leibe gute Nacht, wenn ich zu Bett gehe; und weil er sich in sein Grab legt zur Ruhe, übergebe ich die Seel in Gottes Hände, da sind sie geschieden. Mein Herz merk dies: ein jeder Augenblick, den du lebst, geht ab von deinem Leben; es nimmt ab und zu, nur bei Stunden; je kleinere Schritte es thut, je schneller es läuft. Ach daß du so sicher vor'm Tod bist, und trägst ihn doch allenthalben mit dir herum!
Ist nicht dein Leib ein Leib des Todes? Wohnt nicht die Sünde drin (Röm. 7.) des Todes Mutter? Fühlst du nicht viel Schwachheiten, des Todes Vorboten? Wie manches Schaf, wie manches Kalb, wie manchen Fisch hast du in dir begraben? bist ein Todten - Grab, und denkst nicht ans Grab? Bereite dich, bereite dich!
Unselig ist, den der Tod nicht bereit findet: er wartet nicht auf einen Blick. Wie dich dein letzter Lebensblick läßt, so nimmt dich die Ewigkeit an. Daran ge = deuk, sei immer bereit, der Tod ist nicht weit. Ich rathe dir's.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Job.14.5 — Since his days are determined, the number of his months is with You, and You have set his limits that he cannot pass,
- ↩Luke.23.46;Ps.31.5 — And Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." Having said this, he breathed his last. Ps.31.5 — Into your hand I commit my spirit; you have redeemed me, O LORD, faithful God.
Notes
- 1 ↩Bed as grave is a deliberate memento-mori figure: nightly sleep images the body's burial, while the soul is entrusted to God as at death.
- 2 ↩"es nimmt ab und zu, nur bei Stunden" is rendered as life measured only in hours (waxing and waning by the hour), against the chapter's contrast with long yearly "steps."
- 3 ↩Sentence is split mid-citation from the following refs; sense continues through s3–s4 as 'Doesn't sin live in it (Rom. 7), the mother of death?'
- 4 ↩Citation fragment only; completes the parenthetical started in s2 (Röm. 7).
- 5 ↩Appositive to Sünde in the preceding rhetorical question: sin as mother of death.
- 6 ↩Memento-mori conceit: food animals consumed are 'buried' in the body, making the eater a kind of grave.
- 7 ↩Todten-Grab (modern Totengrab): grave/tomb of the dead; continued from the eaten animals 'buried' in the body.
- 8 ↩Lebensblick is the final look/moment of life; läßt means leaves you in whatever state you are then, and nimmt ... an means eternity takes/receives you as you are at that leaving.
- 9 ↩Normalized source has 'Daran ge = deuk'; read as early-modern 'Daran gedenk' (keep this in mind / think of this), a line-break/hyphenation artifact, not the literal token string.
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