Chapter 25 pleasure

A hermit who visited the city once a year came forward and said, Please tell us about pleasure. He replied: Pleasure is a song of freedom, But it is not freedom. It is the flower of hope that you bloom, But not their fruit. It is the call of the abyss to the summit, But it is not an abyss, nor a peak. It is a caged and outstretched wing, But not the surrounding space. Oh, it is true, pleasure is a song of freedom. I would like you to sing it with all your heart, but not to lose your heart in singing. Some of you young ones seek pleasure as if it meant everything; they are judged and condemned.

I will neither judge them nor condemn them.I let them go after it. For they seek more than pleasure; Pleasure had seven sisters, and the youngest of them was more beautiful than she. Haven't you heard the story of a man who dug up his roots and found a treasure? Some of you old men recall pleasure with chagrin, as if it were a drunken mistake. But remorse only clouded the mind, not punished it. They should rejoice with grateful remembrances, as of summer harvests. But if repentance is their consolation, let them be their consolation. There are some of you who are neither youth full of pursuit nor old man steeped in memory;

They shun all pleasure in fear of pursuit and recollection, lest they alienate or offend the soul. But enjoyment is also present in their lives, So even with trembling hands they dig the earth for roots, they can find treasure. But tell me, who can offend a soul? Will the night drive offend the quiet night, and will the fireflies offend the starry sky? Will your cannon and smoke offend the wind? Do you think the soul is a stagnant water that you can disturb with a stick? When you strongly resist pleasure, you are actually storing the desire for pleasure in a dormant ego. Who doesn't know that those who seem to be left out today will wait until tomorrow?

Even your bodies understand their natural nature and legitimate needs and will not be fooled. Your bodies are the harps of your souls, It makes sweet music, Or noise, that's all up to you. Now you are wondering: "How do we discern good from bad in pleasure?" Go into your fields, and you will know that gathering nectar is the joy of bees, And with flowers, it is fun to provide honey to bees. For the flower is the source of life to the bee, Bees are messengers of love to flowers, For both, the bee and the flower, the joy of giving and receiving is both a need and a great desire.

People of Orphalias, enjoy your joy like flowers and bees!