Wise Expression



A good name is much better,
Than any precious ointment;
As the death of a debtor,
Than birth of disappointment.

Better to go in mourning,
Than for going to a feast;
For the end without warning,
Than in the lair of a beast.

Sorrow better than laughter,
With a heart that is made glad;
Than seeing a face after,
Cries that had made them sad.

Because the heart of the wise,
Is in the house of sorrow;
Than any fool with closed eyes,
Without hope for tomorrow.

Better for a man to hear,
Of the rebuke of the wise;
Than any fool insincere,
Talking of a bunch of lies.

Crackling thorns under a pot,
So is laughter from a fool;
When vanity has been sought,
Where an idiot would rule.

For oppression drives the wise,
As a bribe corrupts the heart;
Allowing darkness disguise,
The madness that we impart.

Better is the end to bring,
Results coming from merit;
Than looks from the beginning,
To have a patient spirit.

Slow anger of your spirit,
Anger of fools will come fast;
Think of what you inherit,
Aft this life is in the past.

Why days past better than these,
From wisdom it will be not;
Because time is like a breeze,
Flowing freely as a thought.

Copyright ©2022 Richard Newton Sherrer

About this poem

The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly Ecclesiastes 7:1-10

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Written on May 04, 2022

Submitted by richards.77936 on May 03, 2022

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:21 min read
4

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAB CDCD AEAE FGFG XFXF HIJI FKFK CLCL LMLM NHNJ A
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 1,193
Words 270
Stanzas 11
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1

Richard Newton Sherrer

I was born and raised on a farm in Pennsylvania. It was a small family farm that was handed down through 8 generations of Sherrer men until my father; Newton just could not make a living from it any longer. He thought that I would make a better living away from the farm. So, I decided to join the Air Force in 1969 upon graduating from high school. I gained quite a bit of experience and insight on life while in the service. Even though I was only stationed on the east coast of the US, my Air Force career took me to Germany and Korea. After 20 years wearing of the blue uniform, I decided going in a different direction and found myself becoming very diverse in many different fields. Something still seemed missing to me after being separated from the service for about 10 years. The Air Force was a way of life for me, but really missed life in Korea. I found myself changing careers again. Poetry was an interest of his since my days in high school. With returning to the Lord, I felt motivated to write of my Christian beliefs. I started looking at Bible verses and reflecting on my own personal experiences. The Bible was found to be as true today as to when the various books were written. I could see much of what the Bible is teaching us as valid as every in modern time. It felt only natural to me on using his personal experience based on Bible verses and see much of my own life written in the Scriptures. God inspires me what to write about though. I do not claim to be an expert on God or the Bible. I am just a Christian who has become enlightened to write poetic verses from the Holy Scriptures. more…

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    Who wrote the poem "The Road Not Taken"?
    A Walt Whitman
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