The days are gone by Unknown — Analysis & Translation

Original Poem

The days are gone When the kingdoms of earth flourished in 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 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 90 95 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 For a soul overflowing with sin, and nothing hidden on earth rises to Heaven. We all fear God. He turns the earth, He set it swinging firmly in space, Gave life to the world and light to the sky. 105 Death leaps at the fools who forget their God. He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven To carry him courage, strength, and belief. A man must conquer pride, not kill it, Be firm with his fellows, chaste for himself, 110 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 Under his lord. Fate is stronger 115 And God mightier than any man's mind. Our thoughts should turn to where our home is, Then strive for sure permission for us 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

Translation (English)

The days are over When the kingdoms of the world were full of glory; 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 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. We all fear God. He moves the earth, He set it firmly in space, Gave life to the world and light to the sky. Death comes to those who forget their God. He who lives humbly has angels from Heaven To give him courage, strength, and faith. A man must control pride, not destroy it, Be strong with others, pure for himself, 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 Under his lord. Fate is stronger And God is mightier than any man's mind. Our thoughts should turn to where our true home is, Then strive to gain permission for us Consider the ways of reaching there, To rise to eternal joy, That life born in God's love And the hope of Heaven. Praise the Holy Grace of Him who honored us, Eternal, unchanging creator of earth. Amen

About the Poet

Unknown (Unknown)

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

Historical Context

Literary Form: Free verse
When Written: Unknown
Background: The 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.

Sources: https://biblehub.com/daniel/2-44.htm, https://biblehub.com/job/3-14.htm, https://www.biblestudytools.com/job/3-14.html, https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Revelation-11-15/

Detailed 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.

Themes

Literary Devices

Word Dictionary

Word	Meaning	Translation	Transliteration
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