HYMN OF PRAISE TO VANITY
What is the worth of man, O Lord, You
said,
That the whole vast world as his
property, he acquires,
When, either today or tomorrow, he
must die,
And the accumulated wealth outlive
him will.
What worth is it that upon his head,
a crown he sets,
When behind him, he must leave it?
To him, what good is gold and a pile
of silver,
When through his withered ribs, grass
grows?
What good is silk, pearls and food,
When, upon him alive, the sun does
not gaze?
Of what help is the world, if he
loses his soul.
Without the soul, the body is lowered
into the grave.
His body and soul, both have died,
And to its grave, each of them
hurries.
Two lifeless ones, then men, do bury,
For neither of them, do men bitterly
mourn.
Anyone who has a mind, over his soul,
let him guard,
You gave to all a reminder clear:
The soul is the only thing that can
be saved,
All else in the world, and even the
world itself will perish.
When we know Your counsel, O dear
Lord,
Still, Your power and help we need.
Help our sinful soul, O Good One,
That the smoke of vanity suffocate it
not.
(Unknown author)
