Thought for the Day

“Many people hastened to meet him,

Gor he was a man of great nobility.

Generous, courteous and without treachery,

and such men were cherished in those days.

But now deception is silver-plaited,

And baseness has a high market value;

Flattery has a guided mouth,

And truth is shaved so close

It’s not worth a strawberry,

While Love and Virtue go a-begging.

Honor isn’t worth a piece of string.

They have made Shame their dear daughter;

They don’t want to find a husband for her,

However much they are asked and nagged.” (73)

“Grans gens point contre lui et cort,

Car il eut hom sans vilonie,

Larges, cortoic, sains felonie:

Et tels gens est adonc amec.

Mais or est faintise entamee

Et vilonie est aforee.

Lozenge ale bouce doree;

Et verites de corte est rese

Si qu’elle n’i valt une frese.

Et Amors et valors mendie.

Honor ne vatt mais une tille.

De Honte ont fait lor clere fille.”

Background: King Evan’s, having arranged a perfect marriage between the two lovers, arrives at the castle in great splendor, giving out gifts to all and showing his generosity. As part of the accord, Cador is awarded the land of Cornwall and one thousand pounds yearly. In addition, he is awarded Belle Eufemie without contest.

Thought: In the midst of worldly life our author takes time to reflect on the downside of the shallow mainstream. He relates that honorable men of virtue are often debased in favor of entertainers, flatterers and stirrers of treachery. In the Royal Court, it seems that much of high society infects rather than purposes a remedy; and all forms of vice begin to take root. The court that takes on this mask is uprooted like an oak true without any roots and hollow at the center. True nobility flourishes with people of virtue and flounders in the muddy mires of superfluity.

Intention: The word we speak and people we surround ourselves with have an indelible impact on our identity and how it is presented to others. Rather than surrendering to what is normal or what everyone else does, seek the deeper layer of truth and rise to that higher level of existence. Be truthful about your surroundings and the places you inhabit. Are you making an impact for good? Am I careful what impressions I give? Do I surround myself with good people? Where there is an abundance of love and support? Do I consider idle talk valuable?

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” -Mother Teresa

Alumni of Santa Clara University writer and blogger Tesla View all posts by Ian Cleary

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