The Eighteenth Figure

The Eighteenth Figure

'The eagle doth not grow out of thee, therefore shall He send a wind unto thee that will repress thee and thy young. Although it may go well with thee and thou sayest to thyself: My soul, thou hast all thou desirest and wishest for, what is there that may not be thine? Thou art sitting in Paradise. While thou art thinking it thus with thee, and there is nothing contrary, in thy greatest councils and rejoicings, the Deluge shall burst in upon thee, and the rough South Wind shall blow thee away as dust off the earth. For not in pleasure and wealth are we created but in the vale of tears. This thou hast forgotten.'