A Quick Daily Study: Stanza 21

I woke up late after checking on the water pipes all night. All I can say is that I’m really proud of myself for taking today off. I usually go to work not caring about the weather, or my depression, or feeling sick (including migraines). A combination of work ethic and fear of losing my job always nudged me to go in but not today. I figure why risk my life for a job that will post for my open position before my obituary prints? Today I’m going to take this chance to mentally recharge and take care of me starting with today’s stanza.

Pocket Translation: 

Cattle know when to go home, and
then from grazing cease; but a foolish man
never knows the measure of his own stomach.

Chisholm:

The herd knows when to go home
and leave the grazing ground behind.
The unwise man never knows
how much to eat.

I think this is a further explanation of stanza 20 about understanding limits and knowing when to stop. All in moderation and I’m kind of digging this advice. We have become a society of glutton for some form or another of something both materialistic and food. Portions are bigger and everyone is trying to live beyond their means. I like how OTOOHG points out that this stanza has a snarky tone comparing a fool to barn animals meaning that dumb barn animals are still smarter than the fool that doesn’t know when to stop. Food for thought guys.

Happy Wednesday and stay warm to my readers experiencing the polar vortex.