Ecclesiastes In Haiku/Senryu Poem by MBJ Pancras

Chapter 1
What profit man hath
All labored under the sun?
For, it's vanity.

Cohorts pass away,
The sun rises and goes down,
The winds takes its way.

All rivers to sea;
Yet, the sea is incomplete,
None is satisfied.

The thing that was seen,
And it shall be the same thing,
Nothing new to life.

No old memory,
Reminiscences shall be vain,
It's oblivion.

I let my heart strive
For worldly wisdom to soar,
My wings are cut off.

The works done en earth,
They have proved vanity,
Full of vexation!

Crooked is crooked,
Wanting cannot be numbered,
Lost is ever lost.

I spoke to my heart:
‘Great estate and wit with me,
And none can hit me.'

I let my heart fide
On the worldly wit in vain,
All is vexation!

Much wit is much grief;
I the preacher who longs for,
Much knowledge, much grief.

Chapter 2
I said in my heart:
‘Go now; enjoy life in mirth,
Behold, all is vain.

My heart strolls in wine,
And to lay hold on folly
In which the world drowned.

Great works and houses
And vineyards I planted,
With silver and gold.

Orchards and gardens,
Trees bearing fruits all over,
Around living pools.

Servants and maidens
I have housed great possessions.
Having great cattle.

Great many singers
‘midst the delights in music,
I was great of all.

I let my eyes drown
In the sea of sweet pleasures,
This was my portion.

I looked down my works,
And the labour I believed,
All is vanity.

I turned to knowledge,
What can men know what happens?
Nothing new to life.

The eyes of the wise
Are above to walk with God,
But fools stroll in dark.

What happens to fools
The same happens unto me,
So, am I wiser?

Not in memory,
The wise or the fool does die,
All days forgotten.

So, I hated life,
The labour under the sun
Is full of sorrow.

My toil shall pass,
He that follows me covets
The fruits of my hand.

Who knows wise or fool?
My labour under the sun,
Uncertain of life.

One's days are sorrows,
His travail is full of grief,
Drained in sleepless nights.

Eat, drink; be merry,
One's life, eating and drinking,
Life is from the Lord.

God giveth wisdom,
But fools do die in pleasures,
Life sans God is vain.


Chapter 3

Each thing, a season,
A time to every purpose,
Under the heavens.

A time to be born,
A time to die and to plant,
A time to pluck up.

A time to slaughter,
A time to heal and break down,
A time to build up.

A time to cry out,
A time to laugh and lament,
And a time to dance.

A time to throw stones,
A time to gather those stones,
Each thing hath a time.

A time to embrace,
A time to hate embracing,
Each time for each work.

A time to beget,
A time to lose all we got,
Each work hath a time.

A time to rend things,
A time to sew the worn out,
Each way hath a time.

A time to keep still
A time to speak and proclaim,
A time to listen.

There's a time to love,
A time to hate and betray,
A time of war and peace.

What profit hath he
That worketh under the sun,
And in his labour?

I've seen the travail,
Which God hath given to men,
That they live on it.

In His time God made
Each thing beautiful on earth,
And in their heart deep.

No good in my work,
My heart knows men to rejoice,
And men to do good.

Each one eats and drinks,
And enjoys good in his work,
It's the gift of God.

Whatever God does,
It shall be till God wishes,
All men shall fear God.

I saw wickedness
Beneath the sun there's evil,
Unrighteousness strolls.

There's time for judgment,
The good and the evil,
It's God's Justice.

The estate of men,
That God shall manifest all,
And men turned to beasts.

Men and beasts befall,
If one dies, the other dies,
All is vanity.

All go to one place,
For each one is of the dust,
And all turn to dust.

Does man's spirit soar,
And the beasts' spirit goes down?
All is a mystery.

I know nothing good,
That man strolls in his own works,
Who knows what's after?

Chapter 4
All under the sun,
They're the tears of the oppressed,
There's no comforter.

The dead are the better,
The livings are no better,
For, life is of grief.

Jealousy lingers,
And each work rips of envy,
All is vanity.

The fool folds his hands,
Hands together in belief,
But eats his own flesh.

Silence is better,
But travail eateth one's soul,
All is vexation.

Deceitful are eyes,
For, riches shall give sorrow,
For whom should I work?

Better are the two,
For, they have a good reward,
All seeming vision.

If one falleth down,
The other is his shoulder,
Help to each other.

One prevails ‘gainst him,
But two shall withstand him strong,
The threefold is strong.

A wise child is great,
But not the foolish ruler,
And kingdom falls.

He comes out of jail,
All his decrees shall prove vain,
His domain turns poor.

There's endless of end,
Temporal mirth turns lasting fire,
Vexation of soul.


Chapter 5
Let thy foot be clean
In the Presence of the Lord,
Stay away from fools.

Swear not unto God,
Let thy words be small and few,
God is in Heaven.

Dreams come through business,
A fool speaks numberless words,
He's known by his words.

Vow to God truly,
Hesitate not to pay it,
God hates the foolish.

Better not to vow,
Defer not to pay thy vow,
For, God is awesome.

Shut thy mouth; sin not,
Thy sins shall anger the Lord,
Thou shalt be punished.

Oppression at stake,
Marvel not at unjust law,
The Lord is greater.

The earth is for all,
Profit and loss are for all,
Kings or folks, the same.

Silver gives no peace,
Love for possessions shall rot,
All is vanity.

Goods on earth increase,
They that eat them shall increase,
What good is in work?

The sleep of hard work
Is sweet and joyful boundless,
The rich will not sleep.

I found an evil,
The rich hurt themselves in pain
Buried in sorrow.

By evil travail
The rich shall perish ever,
Nothing for his son.

Entry with nothing,
Stroll in pleasures and riches,
Exit with nothing.

Buried in pleasures,
Countless designs man shall make,
The end is nothing.

Man eats in darkness
With liquid of sorrow,
, Tarnished with sickness.

Eating and drinking,
With labour under the sun,
All is man's portion.

Possessions and wealth,
With the power to rule them,
It's the gift of God.

The days of man's life
Shall never be remembered,
For God answers him.

Chapter 6
Rendered with riches,
But the soul hath not been pleased,
All is vanity.

More children more pain,
More age, much sorrow, no good,
None follows others.

The rich comes through dark,
Shrouded with darkness and pain,
One's name shall vanish.

No sun for the rich,
Ignorant of things around,
Vexation of soul.

Might be thousand years,
All through ages with no good,
All reach the same dust.

The labour for mouth,
Bruised by profitless travail,
The end is empty.

Is the wise so great?
What hath the poor to walk?
Life on is vain.

Better to have sight,
The eyes long for desire,
Vexation of soul.

What was named exists,
It is known that it is man
No one is mighty.

Many things increase,
But, all this increase is vain,
What's man the better?

None knows good for man,
Men's days are of vanity,
It's a shadow life.

Chapter 7
Better a good name,
Than precious ointment to earn,
Exit than entry.

Better mourning house,
Than feasting home to learn life,
That's the end of life.

Better is sorrow,
Than mirth to build expression
Better in the heart.

The heart of the wise
In mourning house; in laughter
Is the heart of fools.

Rebuke of the wise,
Better to hear; Songs of fools,
Unlikely to hear.

Laughter of the fool,
As crackling of thorns ‘neath ot,
The fool's mirth is vain.

The wise turneth mad
In oppression; and a gift
Destroyeth the heart.

Better the ending,
Than the start; better patience
Than pride unto death.

Thou, be not angry,
For anger rests in fool's heart,
It's the end of life.

Were old days better?
Why dost thou brood over them?
Be wise in thy life.

Wisdom is graceful,
Thou shalt have inheritance,
Gain to see the sun.

Wisdom, a defence,
Money too is a defence,
Yet, wisdom gives life.

Consider God's work,
For, none makes straight which God made,
And man is crooked.

Be joyful in wealth,
Think of thy adversity,
Who knows after life?

The just perishes
In his righteousness on earth,
But the wicked lives.

Be not righteous much,
Neither be not over wise,
Why thou kill thyself?

Be not much wicked,
Neither be thou so foolish,
Don't die before time.

It's good to hold faith,
For, those fear God shall flourish,
Withdraw not from faith.

Wisdom builds the wise
More than ten mighty warfare
Which is in city.

There's no a just man
Upon the earth that does good,
And that sinneth noth.

Heed not all words said,
Lest thou hear curses from all,
Be mindful of words.

Oftentimes thou know
That thy heart hath cursed others,
Curse not thy people.

Wisdom taught me life,
I said myself: ‘I'll be wise',
But far from my heart.

Who finds the far-off?
Who find the exceeding deep?
Who finds the unknown?

I let my heart search,
Where wisdom dwells I long for,
Evil is madness.

Women are bitter
Than death; whose heart snares and nets,
Leave her and please God.

Behold! I found it,
Counting one by one to learn
What life is on earth.

My soul seeks in vain -
One man among a thousand,
But a woman not.

I learnt in my heart:
Lord God hath made man upright;
But men sought evil.

Chapter 8

Who's as the wise man?
Wisdom maketh man to shine,
Whose countenance shines.

I teach thee to keep
The king's commandment and live
And regard His Oath.

Haste not to fly far
From God; Stroll not in evil,
Please God in thy deeds.

Where the king's word is,
There is power and he lives,
None can displease him.

Whoso keeps the law
In him there is no evil,
He knows time and law.

For, to each purpose
There shall be time and judgment,
So big is sorrow.

Which shall be in life,
He knows not and how to live,
Who says when shall be?

No power for man
To control his life and death,
No evil saves him.

I let my heart see
Every work under the sun,
A time to rule all!

I saw the wicked
Buried, who came from heaven,
And so forgotten.

Late verdict to bad,
So, their hearts stroll in evil,
All in vanity.

Sinners live long time,
Yet, I know that those fear God
Too shall live long time.

Shadow is their life,
Who seem to live many days,
And they fear not God.

The just may be rebuk'd,
The wicked may have law,
A seeming justice!

So, I praised pleasure
To eat, drink and be merry,
I decide to choose.

I longed for wisdom,
And the work under the sun,
No sleep in my eyes!

I saw all God's work,
Unreachable to mankind,
Vain satisfaction!

Chapter 9
The deeds of the wise,
The righteous are in God's Hand,
None knoweth of them.

All things come alike,
The wicked and the righteous,
Fear thy oath in God.

Of evil their hearts,
While holding their breath on earth,
And they go to grave.

Hope in unity,
A living dog is better
Than a dead lion.

The wise know they die,
The dead shall have no reward,
The memories lost.

No more emotions,
All have perished in the grave,
Ne'er shall be carried.

Go thy way and stroll
In pleasures with bread and wine,
God accepts thy works.

Let thy clothes be white,
Let thy head lack no ointment,
And stroll in pleasures.

Pleasure with thy wife,
That's thy portion in this life,
And thy works on earth.

Do thy work with might,
Nothing shalt thou find in grave,
All is vanity.

I learnt life is vain:
Race, battle, bread and riches
All happen by chance.

In fish in their trap,
Man knows not his time, but caught
In snares of evil.

This wisdom in me
Greater unto me to know life
All under the sun.

A few citizens,
Caught in the cage of a king,
With bulwarks by him.

The wise hath no regard,
His wisdom shall not be heard
In an evil town.

Wisdom is better,
Although the wise is despised,
I said in my heart.

The words of the wise
They shall be heard by the good,
But not by the fools.

Wisdom is better
Than weapons of war to gain,
But sinners hate good.

Chapter 10
Dead flies are evil,
foul-smelling to medicine,
So in fame for wit.

The wise at his right,
A battle between faces!
The fool at his left.

The fool in his way;
His wisdom fails; His trumpet
Blows that he's a fool.

Leave not thy status
If the ruler breaks thy pace,
Yielding gives softness.

An evil on earth -
An error from the ruler
Proceeds from his mind.

In great dignity
Folly is set high. The rich
Is set in low place.

Servants on horses;
Justice fails upon the earth,
Princes as servants.

One's own pit eats him,
The evil emits poison
On the law-breaker.

Whoso removes stones
Shall be hurt therewith. He who
Cleaves be in danger.

If the edge not whet,
More strength be added for pow'r,
Wisdom is greater.

Without enchantment
The serpent will bite to death,
No good a babbler.

Wise words are graceful,
Wisdom greater than fools' talk,
Foolish words eat up.

The start and the end
Of those who speak witless words
Are foolish and mad.

A fool, full of words,
What shall be and after death?
No one can predict.

The foolish labour
Wearies every one. For, he
Knows not how to go.

When thy king, a fool,
O, Land! Woe to thee! In morn
Thy princes eat up.

When thy king, noble,
Thou art blessed! Thy princes
Eat in due season.

Slothfulness decays
A building. In idleness
The house falleth down.

A feast for laughter,
Wine for merriment. Money
Answereth all things.

Curse not the king and rich,
For, birds shall carry the voice
And tell the matter.

Chapter 11
Cast thy bread to find
Upon the waters. Thou shalt
Find it days later.

A portion to eight,
And to seven. For, none knows
What evil on earth.

Water clouds fall down,
The trees that fall south or north,
They shall fall down.

He watches the wind
Shall not sow seeds. He sees clouds
Shall not reap the gain.

How the spirit goes;
How bones grow in the fetus,
You know not God's works.

Sow thy seed in morn,
Hold not it even. You know
Not its gain or loss.

The light, sweet and nice,
Pleasant it is for the eyes
To behold the sun,

Let men live long days
In mirth. Yet they forget not
The days of darkness.

Rejoice in thy youth,
Walk in the ways of thy sight,
But there is judgment.

So, remove the pain
And sin from thy heart and flesh,
For, young days are vain.

Chapter 12
Think of thy Maker
In thy youth. Say not: Pleasure,
Let not evil rise.

Sun, moon and the stars
Be not darkened, nor the clouds
Return after rain.

House-keepers tremble.
Strength ceases. Few grinders cease.
The day be darkened.

The doors shut in streets.
Low grinding sound. Like bird's voice,
Low daughter's music.

People's way scary,
Almond grows; weightless burden,
Wants fall; mourners grow.

Silver cord shall break,
Golden bowl breaks; Pitcher breaks;
Wheel breaks at cistern.

Dust returns to earth,
Spirit returns unto God
As it was by Word.

All is vanity,
The preacher proclaims to all,
Vain is life on earth.

The preacher was wise.
He taught knowledge; gave good heed,
He spoke in proverbs.

Wise words he sought out,
All those written was upright,
Even words of truth.

The wise words are goads,
Like nails fastened in great groups,
Words of the shepherd.

My son: be cautious.
No end of making more books,
More learning, much grief.

Let's hear the ending:
Fear God; keep His Commandments;
That's duty of man.