| 25 σοφία γραμματέως ἐν εὐκαιρίᾳ σχολῆς καὶ ὁ ἐλασσούμενος πράξει αὐτοῦ σοφισθήσεται 26 τί σοφισθήσεται ὁ κρατῶν ἀρότρου καὶ καυχώμενος ἐν δόρατι κέντρου βόας ἐλαύνων καὶ ἀναστρεφόμενος ἐν ἔργοις αὐτῶν καὶ ἡ διήγησις αὐτοῦ ἐν υἱοῖς ταύρων 27 καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει ἐκδοῦναι αὔλακας καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ εἰς χορτάσματα δαμάλεων 28 οὕτως πᾶς τέκτων καὶ ἀρχιτέκτων ὅστις νύκτωρ ὡς ἡμέρας διάγει οἱ γλύφοντες γλύμματα σφραγίδων καὶ ἡ ἐπιμονὴ αὐτοῦ ἀλλοιῶσαι ποικιλίαν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει εἰς ὁμοιῶσαι ζωγραφίαν καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ τελέσαι ἔργον 29 οὕτως χαλκεὺς καθήμενος ἐγγὺς ἄκμονος καὶ καταμανθάνων ἔργα σιδήρου ἀτμὶς πυρὸς τήξει σάρκας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν θέρμῃ καμίνου διαμαχήσεται 30 φωνῇ σφύρης κλινεῖ τὸ οὖς αὐτοῦ καὶ κατέναντι ὁμοιώματος σκεύους οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτοῦ 31 καρδίαν αὐτοῦ δώσει εἰς συντέλειαν ἔργων καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ κοσμῆσαι ἐπὶ συντελείας 32 οὕτως κεραμεὺς καθήμενος ἐν ἔργῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ συστρέφων ἐν ποσὶν αὐτοῦ τροχόν ὃς ἐν μερίμνῃ κεῖται διὰ παντὸς ἐπὶ τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐναρίθμιος πᾶσα ἡ ἐργασία αὐτοῦ 33 ἐν βραχίονι αὐτοῦ τυπώσει πηλὸν καὶ πρὸ ποδῶν κάμψει ἰσχὺν αὐτοῦ 34 καρδίαν ἐπιδώσει συντελέσαι τὸ χρῖσμα καὶ ἡ ἀγρυπνία αὐτοῦ καθαρίσαι κάμινον 35 πάντες οὗτοι εἰς χεῖρας αὐτῶν ἐνεπίστευσαν καὶ ἕκαστος ἐν τῷ ἔργῳ αὐτοῦ σοφίζεται 36 ἄνευ αὐτῶν οὐκ οἰκισθήσεται πόλις 37 καὶ οὐ παροικήσουσιν οὐδὲ περιπατήσουσιν καὶ ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ οὐχ ὑπεραλοῦνται 38 ἐπὶ δίφρον δικαστοῦ οὐ καθιοῦνται καὶ διαθήκην κρίματος οὐ διανοηθήσονται οὐδὲ μὴ ἐκφάνωσιν παιδείαν καὶ κρίμα καὶ ἐν παραβολαῖς οὐχ εὑρεθήσονται 39 ἀλλὰ κτίσμα αἰῶνος στηρίσουσιν καὶ ἡ δέησις αὐτῶν ἐν ἐργασίᾳ τέχνης πλὴν τοῦ ἐπιδιδόντος τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ διανοουμένου ἐν νόμῳ ὑψίστου |
25 The wisdom of a learned man is the fruit of leisure; he must starve himself of doing if he is to come by it. 26 How shall he drink full draughts of wisdom that must guide the plough, that walks proud as any spearman while he goads on his team, all his life taken up with their labours, all his talk of oxen? 27 His mind all set on a straight furrow, the feeding of his cows an anxiety to deny him sleep? 28 So it is with every workman and master-workman, that must turn night into day. Here is one that cuts graven seals; how he busies himself with devising some new pattern! How the model he works from claims his attention, while he sits late over his craft! 29 Here is blacksmith sitting by his anvil, intent upon his iron-work, cheeks shrivelled with the smoke, as he battles with the heat of the furnace, 30 ears ringing again with the hammer’s clattering, eyes fixed on the design he imitates. 31 All his heart is in the finishing of his task, all his waking thoughts go to the perfect achieving of it. 32 Here is potter at work, treadles flying, anxious continually over the play of his hands, over the rhythm of his craftsmanship; 33 arms straining at the stiff clay, feet matching its strength with theirs.[3] 34 To finish off the glaze is his nearest concern, and long he must wake to keep his furnace clean. 35 All these look to their own hands for a living, skilful each in his own craft; 36 and without them, there is no building up a commonwealth. 37 For them no travels abroad, no journeyings from home; they will not pass beyond their bounds to swell the assembly,[4] 38 or to sit in the judgement-seat. Not theirs to understand the law’s awards, not theirs to impart learning or to give judgement; they will not be known for uttering wise sayings. 39 Theirs it is to support this unchanging world of God’s creation; they ply their craft and ask for nothing better; … lending themselves freely and making their study in the law of the most High.[5] |
25
Sapientia scribæ in tempore vacuitatis,
et qui minoratur actu sapientiam percipiet,
qua sapientia replebitur. 26
Qui tenet aratrum,
et qui gloriatur in jaculo, stimulo boves agitat,
et conversatur in operibus eorum,
et enarratio ejus in filiis taurorum. 27
Cor suum dabit ad versandos sulcos,
et vigilia ejus in sagina vaccarum. 28
Sic omnis faber et architectus,
qui noctem tamquam diem transigit:
qui sculpit signacula sculptilia,
et assiduitas ejus variat picturam:
cor suum dabit in similitudinem picturæ,
et vigilia sua perficiet opus. 29
Sic faber ferrarius sedens juxta incudem,
et considerans opus ferri:
vapor ignis uret carnes ejus,
et in calore fornacis concertatur. 30
Vox mallei innovat aurem ejus,
et contra similitudinem vasis oculus ejus. 31
Cor suum dabit in consummationem operum,
et vigilia sua ornabit in perfectionem. 32
Sic figulus sedens ad opus suum,
convertens pedibus suis rotam,
qui in sollicitudine positus est semper propter opus suum,
et in numero est omnis operatio ejus. 33
In brachio suo formabit lutum,
et ante pedes suos curvabit virtutem suam. 34
Cor suum dabit ut consummet linitionem,
et vigilia sua mundabit fornacem. 35
Omnes hi in manibus suis speraverunt,
et unusquisque in arte sua sapiens est. 36
Sine his omnibus non ædificatur civitas, 37
et non inhabitabunt, nec inambulabunt,
et in ecclesiam non transilient. 38
Super sellam judicis non sedebunt,
et testamentum judicii non intelligent,
neque palam facient disciplinam et judicium,
et in parabolis non invenientur: 39
sed creaturam ævi confirmabunt:
et deprecatio illorum in operatione artis,
accomodantes animam suam,
et conquirentes in lege Altissimi. |