Vanitie (I)
Vain Human Strivings
The astronomer, diver, and chemist each exhaust their skill in pursuit of worldly knowledge and treasure, yet all such efforts are ultimately vanity.
The swift astronomer can bore through and thread the spheres with his quick, piercing mind. He looks over their stations, walks from door to door, surveys them as if he meant to buy a place there. He sees their dances, and knows long beforehand both their full-eyed aspects and their secret glances. The nimble diver cuts sideways through the churning waves so he can fetch his hard-won pearl, which God deliberately hid from that venturesome wretch—so that he might save the diver's life, and hers as well, who with excessive pride wears her own destruction and his danger.1 The subtle chemist can strip the creature naked until he finds the unfledged first principles still in their nest. There he imparts his mind to them, admitted into their bedchamber, before they appear neat and dressed for ordinary suitors at the door.23
The Neglect of God
Man has sought and found everything except God, who plants his law within us, yet we search for death while missing the life that is near at hand.
What hasn't man sought out and found—except his dear God? who still plants his glorious law deep in us, softening the ground with showers and frosts, with love and awe—so that we need not say, "Where is this command?" Poor man, you search all around to find out death, but miss life right at hand.
Read the original English
THe fleet Astronomer can bore And thred the spheres with his quick-piercing minde: He views their stations, walks from doore to doore, Surveys, as if he had design'd To make a purchase there: he sees their dances, And knoweth long before Both their full-ey'd aspects, and secret glances.
The nimble Diver with his side Cuts through the working waves, that he may fetch His deerly-earned pearl, which God did hide On purpose from the ventrous wretch; That he might save his life, and also hers, Who with excessive pride Her own destruction and his danger wears.
The subtil Chymick can devest And strip the creature naked, till he finde The callow principles within their nest: There he imparts to them his minde, Admitted to their bed-chamber, before They appeare trim and drest To ordinarie suitours at the doore.
What hath not man sought out and found, But his deare God? who yet his glorious law Embosomes in us, mellowing the ground With showres and frosts, with love & aw; So that we need not say, Where's this command? Poore man, thou searchest round To finde out death, but missest life at hand.
Notes
- 1 ↩In the source, 'hers' and the relative 'Who' most naturally point to the pearl personified as feminine (and, by extension, to the proud wearer who displays it). The closing image is that prideful wearing is both her ruin and his peril.
- 2 ↩Early modern chymick/chemist: the natural philosopher or alchemist who analyzes matter into its elements, not a modern laboratory chemist alone.
- 3 ↩Callow = unfledged, like nestlings not yet feathered; the elemental principles are still raw and unformed in their 'nest' before nature dresses them for ordinary observers.
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