Poetry Analysis

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The days are gone

Original Poetry

Translation

The days are gone

The days are over

When the kingdoms of earth flourished in glory;

When the kingdoms of the world were full of glory;

Now there are no rulers, no emperors, no givers of gold, as once there were, when wonderful things were worked among them and they lived in lordly magnificence. 85

Now there are no kings, no emperors, no generous people, like there used to be, when amazing things happened among them and they lived in great splendor.

Those powers have vanished, those pleasures are dead, the weakest survives and the world continues, kept spinning by toil. All glory is tarnished, the world's honor ages and shrinks, bent like the men who mold it. Their faces whiten as time advances, their beards wither and they mourn the memory of friends, the sons of princes, sown in the dust

Those powers are gone, those pleasures are dead, the weakest survive and the world keeps going, driven by hard work. All glory fades, the world's honor ages and shrinks, bent like the people who shape it. Their faces turn pale as time passes, their beards dry up and they remember their friends, the sons of princes, buried in the ground.

The soul without its body knows nothing of sweetness or bitterness, feels no pain, uses neither its hands nor its mind. A brother opens his hands and places gold on his relative's grave, covering his coffin with treasures meant for Heaven, but no amount of gold can change God's anger

For a soul full of sin, and nothing hidden on earth rises to Heaven.

The soul stripped of its flesh knows nothing of sweetness or sourness, feels no pain, bends neither its hand nor its brain. A brother opens his palms and pours down gold on his kinsman's grave, strewing his coffin with treasures intended for Heaven, but nothing golden shakes the wrath of God

We all fear God. He moves the earth,

For a soul overflowing with sin, and nothing hidden on earth rises to Heaven.

He set it firmly in space,

We all fear God. He turns the earth,

Gave life to the world and light to the sky.

He set it swinging firmly in space,

Death comes to those who forget their God.

Gave life to the world and light to the sky. 105

He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven

Death leaps at the fools who forget their God.

To give him courage, strength, and faith.

He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven

A man must control pride, not destroy it,

To carry him courage, strength, and belief.

Be strong with others, pure for himself,

A man must conquer pride, not kill it,

Treat the world as it deserves, with love or hate, but never with harm, even if an enemy tries to burn him in hell, or light a funeral fire

Be firm with his fellows, chaste for himself,

Under his lord. Fate is stronger

110

And God is mightier than any man's mind.

Treat all the world as the world deserves, with love or with hate, but never with harm, though an enemy seeks to scorch him in hell, or set the flames of a funeral pyre

Our thoughts should turn to where our true home is,

Under his lord. Fate is stronger

Then strive to gain permission for us

115

Consider the ways of reaching there, To rise to eternal joy,

And God mightier than any man's mind.

That life born in God's love

Our thoughts should turn to where our home is,

And the hope of Heaven. Praise the Holy Grace of Him who honored us,

Then strive for sure permission for us

Eternal, unchanging creator of earth. Amen

Consider the ways of coming there, To rise to that eternal joy,

That life born in the love of God

120

And the hope of Heaven. Praise the Holy Grace of Him who honored us,

Eternal, unchanging creator of earth. Amen

Explanation

This poem reflects on the fleeting nature of worldly power and the enduring presence of divine authority. It begins by lamenting the loss of the glorious days when kingdoms thrived and rulers were generous. The poet observes that those powers and pleasures have vanished, leaving behind a world driven by toil and aging honor. The imagery of pale faces and withered beards evokes the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The poem contrasts earthly treasures with divine judgment, emphasizing that material wealth cannot sway God's wrath against sin. It underscores the importance of humility, faith, and moral conduct, suggesting that those who live humbly are supported by heavenly forces. The poem concludes with a call to focus on the eternal joy and love of God, praising the divine creator's unchanging grace. Themes of mortality, divine justice, and spiritual aspiration are woven throughout, with literary devices such as imagery, contrast, and personification enriching the text.

Word Dictionary13

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
flourished	thrived	grew and developed successfully	flur-ishd
magnificence	splendor	great beauty and grandeur	mag-nif-i-sens
vanished	disappeared	ceased to exist	van-isht
tarnished	faded	lost its shine or beauty	tar-nisht
honor	respect	high respect or esteem	on-er
mourn	grieve	feel sorrow for the loss	morn
strewing	scattering	spreading things around	stroo-ing
wrath	anger	extreme anger	rath
chaste	pure	morally pure or modest	chayst
scorch	burn	burn or damage with heat	skorch
eternal	everlasting	lasting forever	ee-tur-nal
unchanging	constant	not changing or varying	un-chayng-ing
creator	maker	one who creates or makes	kree-ay-tor

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraUnknown

The poet's identity and era are not determined from the available information.

WhenUnknown

WhyThe poem reflects on the transient nature of earthly power and glory, emphasizing the eternal nature of divine power and the importance of humility and faith.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

MortalityDivine justiceHumilityFaithEternal life

Literary devices

Imagery: Vivid descriptions of aging, death, and the passage of time.Contrast: Between earthly treasures and divine judgment.Personification: Death is depicted as leaping at those who forget God.Metaphor: The world is described as spinning by toil, emphasizing the effort required to sustain life.