Goodness in the Good Book
It was my paternal uncle who exhorted me to read the Good Book-the Bible -because as he said, ‘It is the best work in the English Language’.
I did not take his advice seriously, because he was very agnostic for one thing and the King James’ version of the Good Book, in vogue at that time, contained very archaic English, which was difficult for me to comprehend, during my early teens.
Now, in my maturity, I chanced to read one chapter of the book of Proverbs, written by the famous King Solomon (Islamic equivalent is Sulaiman) BC 970-931 and realised the wisdom of my paternal uncle’s exhortation.
The books of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and Songs of Solomon were written by Solomon himself and are abounding in all varieties of imagery, including similes, metaphors, idioms, and proverbs, some of which are so frequently used these days, so much so that the users of the imagery may not know its source. (King Solomon, of course!).
Space would not permit me to make a complete list of the similes used by Solomon. Solomon himself is the subject of a simile-as wise as King Solomon, which refers to the famous story of how he solved the dispute between two mothers, who claimed the same baby.
History repeated itself, when nine parents claimed the same baby, just after the tsunami of 2004. Only Solomon cleverly proved his wisdom, by solving the dispute without any modern DNA tests! Some of the striking similes are found in Proverbs, Chapter 26, verses1 and 2; “As snow in summer and rain in harvest, so honour is not fitting for a fool. Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without a cause shall not alight” (Did Solomon have foresight of Sri Lanka’s modern politics?)
An example of a hackneyed simile is in Proverbs, Chapter 28, Verse 1, which says, “The righteous are as bold as a lion” and in Verse 15 of the same chapter, “Like a roaring lion and a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a poor people.” Some of his similes have found their way into pop songs, both English and Tamil.
In chapter 5 Verse 3, he says, “The lips drip honey”. This verse was probably made use of by a pop singer of yesteryear, Tony Bennett, when he sang of his girl friend as ‘The honey drips from your sweet lips’
In verse18 and 19 of the same chapter, Solomon says, “Rejoice with the wife of your youth, as a loving deer and a graceful doe.” This comparison of woman to a lovely animal is found coincidently in Tamil literature and also in Tamil pop songs -especially the doe’s eyes are compared to a pretty woman’s eyes. There is evidence that Solomon simply adored his wife.
In Songs of Solomon, Chapter 2, Verse 3, he says, “Like an apple tree among the trees in the woods, is my beloved.’(would you say that of your wife? I’m not anxious to know!).
There is more evidence of his love for his wife, when he refers to her in Chapter 2, Verse 2 of his Songs of Solomon as a “A lily among thorns.”
In modern parlance, t he comparison with lily gave way to rose and so it became “A rose among thorns.” The lily flower blooms only annually, whereas the rose continues to bloom right through the year and for this reason, probably, is more popular.
It is entirely my opinion, that in due course, rose replaced lily in the comparison. It was a common joke during my school days, to refer to a pretty girl seated between two boys, as a rose between thorns (The school I studied was co-educational).
Only one idiom is found in Proverbs, Chapter 7, Verse 2, when he says “Keep my laws as the apple of your eyes. During my days as a school-teacher, this was a popular idiom among school boys, whenever they referred to their grandmas, in their essays.
Some standard proverbs are stated directly in Solomon’s Proverbs, while yet others are stated in an indirect manner. The proverb “Pride goes before a fall” is stated directly in chapter 16 Verse 18, as ‘Pride goes before destruction.” The proverb “Spare the rod and spoil the child” is stated indirectly, in Chapter 13, Verse24, as “He who spares his rod, hates his son.”
Other well known proverbs are stated indirectly.
“Man proposes, God disposes,” is stated in Chapter 16, Verse 9 as “A man’s heart prepares his way but the hand of God directs his steps.”
The proverb “Familiarity breeds contempt” is found in the Chapter 25, Verse 17 , as “Seldom set foot in your neighbour’s house lest he become weary of you and hate you.
The proverb “Face is an index to character” is found in 27:19 “As in water face reflects face, so a man’s heart reveals a man.”
The saying “Two heads are better than one is found in Ecclesiastes,” written by Solomon, Chapter 4, Verse 9, “Two are better than one, for if they fall, one will lift his companion.
In modern parlance heads are added with two to emphasise importance of combined work.
“For everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the heaven” is an oft heard admonishment; one wouldn’t realise that is found in Chapter 3, Verse 1 of Ecclesiastes
The proverb, “Haste makes waste” is found in the second half of Chapter 21, Verse 5, which says,
“The plans of the diligent lead to plenty; but those of everyone who is hasty, leads to poverty.”
“Where ignorance is bliss, it is folly to be wise’s found in Chapter 29, Verse 9,
“Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.”
Solomon proffers a whole host of advice on family life, office life, medical psychology and social ethic which I shall deal with in a subsequent article.