English translation: The Moral Proverbs of Santob de Carrión: Jewish Wisdom in Christian Spain. T.A. Perry. Princeton UP, 1987. Reproduced with permission of Princeton University Press in the format Copy via Copyright Clearance Center. S09
Dedication to King Pedro1Peter the Cruel of Castile, 1334-69 (1-28)
I–Lord King, noble and high, hear this discourse, which Santob, theJew from Carrión, comes forward to speak:
5–[It is spoken] for the benefit of all, rhymed in the vulgar manner, and culled from glosses taken from moral philosophy, as [you will see from] the following.
9–When King Alfonso died,2Alfonso XI, I311-50 the people were left like a sick man when his pulse fails.
13–For at the moment they did not reflect that such a cure remained, nor could anyone [even] imagine that it was possible.
17–When the dry rose leaves the world in its appointed time, its rose water remains, of greater worth.
21–In the same way, you have survived him, in order to live a long life and do the things he wished to acquit:
25–As, for example, the sum promised me, which is of slight worth to you but with which [if acquitted] I could live without any shame [of hardship].
Prologue I: On Repentance (29-120)
- MAN AND GOD (29-88)
29–Being in the anguish of fear over my sins–for I have committed many, without number, small and large-
33–I considered myself as dead. But a very reassuring comfort came to mind, which made me happy:
37—”Foolish, senseless man, it would be an insult to God for you to weigh your own malice on the scale of His forgiveness.
41–He has given you life, you live [only] through His mercy. How could your deeds surpass His?
45–Your habit is to sin, and His, to pardon and to delay His anger, to forget misdeeds.
49–Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,3Isa. 55:9. His pardon is that much larger than your sin;
53–According to His power, so great are His works; according to your power, so great are your works.
57–The works of man–for all his activity is as nothing and his painful life is of very brief span–
61–How could they be so great as those of the Creator, Who governs the whole world and causes to turn
65–That wheel,4The outermost or ninth sphere, which encircles the universe and gives it motion. the sun and the stars, which never ceases to turn, and He [alone] knows their number?5Ps. 147:4; Isa. 40: 2.6
69–Just as your [human] estate measures up to His glory, to that same degree does your sin compare to His mercy.
73–It would be a strange and most unnatural thing for your misdeeds to be as great as His clemency.
77–But this do not fear, for it could never be; and may you never return to your rebelliousness.
81–But repent and pray and ask forgiveness, with a detailed confession
85–Of all your past [sins], and depart from them immediately: after this you will be easily forgiven.”
- MAN AND THE WORLD (89-II2)
89–The fool does not understand, who complains of the sufferings that the world often inflicts upon us [all],
93–He does not understand that such are the ways of the world: for vile men to be held in esteem,
97–And for honorable men to be warred against by it. Lift your eyes and consider; you will see that upon the high seas
101–And upon their banks float [only] dead things, but in the depths precious stones lie buried.
105–Likewise, the scale similarIy lowers the fuller plate and raises up the emptier one.
109–And among the stars of the sky–and He [alone) knows their number–none suffers eclipse except the sun and the moon.
- MAN AND HIS NEIGHBORS (113-120)
113–I have dyed my gray hair not out of dislike or to give the lie or appear boyish,
117–But out of a very great fear of my fellow humans, who would seek in me the wisdom of an elder and not find it.
Prologue II: The Author and the Jew (121-212)
121–Since I lack an occupation from which to derive benefit, I will share, through speech, some of my learning.
125–If it is not what I wish, may I wish what it is; if at first I get pain, I will later get pleasure.
129–Since that wheel of heaven is never still for a single hour,6Sec. 1, v. 65 getting worse or better,
133–This weary soul will also renew its spirits, this meek drum will again sound
137–Its beat; the day will come [when] his pound will again be worth a hundred.
141–I have experienced the heavy, [now] I will experience the light;7“Heavy” and “light” render pesado and lyviano; these metaphorical allusions are unclear in changing my opinion perhaps I can change my luck.
145–(I feared that, if I spoke, I would cause annoyance; but if I remained silent, [I feared that] I would be considered a fool.)
149–For he who does not change his place does not find what he likes; they say that a mute bird cannot serve to predict the future.
153–Since humans, with all their powers of speech, walk upon the earth for but a brief time, that earth which, silent, will walk upon them forever [in the gravel],
157–I concluded that silence would be the better course: I [therefore] avoided speaking, and things [only] got worse.
161–Yet I am not worse than others of my religion who have received good gifts from the King.
165–But a sense of modesty held me back and changed my mind; otherwise, I would not be so destitute of honor and profit.
169–Even if my discourse is not great, it should not be despised because spoken by a modest person: for many a sword
I73–Of good and fine steel comes from a torn sheath. and it is from the worm that fine silk is made.
177–And a miserable catapult can be most accurate, and a torn skin can [still manage to] cover up white breasts;
181–And a conniving messenger can bring good news, and a lowly lawyer can introduce truthful arguments.
185–for being born on the thornbush, the rose is certainly not worth less, nor is good wine if taken from the lesser branches of the vine.
189–Nor is the hawk worth less, if born in a poor nest; nor are good proverbs [of less value] if spoken by a Jew.
193–Let them not disdain me as short of learning, for many an important Jew would not venture to within a hand’s breadth of doing what I am doing.
197–I am well aware [though others aren’t] that [even] four throws of a spear cannot reach as far as an arrow reaches;
201–And an important discourse can be said in few verses, and a narrow belt can encompass heavy ribs.
205–Many an intelligent man, through being modest, is considered foolish and called miserable.
209–But if he saw the opportunity, he would speak his piece better and more appropriately than he who denigrates him.
- THE WORLD: ITS WAYS AND ITS THINGS (213-380)
213–l wish to speak, concerning the world and its ways and my doubts about it, very truthful words.
217–For I am unable to find a mean or reach any decision; I retreat from more than a hundred resolutions every day.
A. The Ways of the World and the Relativity of Judgment (221-92)
221–What one man denigrates l see another praise; what this one considers beautiful another finds ugly.
225–The measuring rod that the buyer calls short, this same rod is called long by the seller.
229–The one who throws the spear considers it slow, but the man that it reaches finds it speedy enough.
233–Two friends would bind themselves in the same ring in which two enemies would not put [even] a finger.
237–What brings gain to Lope brings poverty to Domingo; what heals Sancho brings sickness to Pedro.
241–He who looks to emulate his neighbor without considering first what is appropriate for himself,
245–That man can very easily fall into very grave error, for salt requires one thing and pitch another. .
249–(Two people can do opposite things for the same reason; of what pleases me greatly another complains.)
253–The sun hardens salt but softens pitch; it darkens the complex ion but bleaches linens.
257 [But] in its height [above the earth] it is the same, as much when the weather is cold as when it is warm.
261–In cold weather the sun brings honor to a man and goes out to greet him; but whoever it strikes on the head gets a door slammed in his face.
265–When the wind comes up, first I agree then disagree: it puts out the candle but also kindles a great fire.
269–I immediately render the judgment that it is good to grow in strength and show great diligence in order to become active;
273–For it is because of its weakness that the flame of the candle died, and because of its strength that the great fire lived.
277–But within a short time I appeal this decision, for I see the weak escape and the strong perish.
281–For the same wind that acted upon those two [i.e., the candle and the great fire] in the same day destroyed this other one:
285–The same [wind] shattered a very great tree, but the grass of the meadow was not terrified at its passing.
289–He who is being burned up in his house receives great pain from the wind; [but] when he winnows his grain he is very delighted with it.
Conclusions: The Author’s Doubts (293-316)
293–Wherefore, I am never able to attach my opinion to a single stake; nor do I know which [shade] will avail me more, dark or light.
297–When I assume that straight justice is correct in every instance, I find in short time that this too is not certain.
301–lf one man benefits, another it costs dearly; if the scale praises it, the bow denigrates it.
305–For it is the “straight” justice of the bow to be made “crooked,” whereas it pleases the mark to have just weights.
309–Wherefore, I can neither praise nor denounce a thing [entirely], nor call it only beautiful or ugly.
313–According to the circumstances and the nature of a thing, fast can be called slow and heads can be called tails.
B. The World’s Mutability (317-52)
317–I never complain about the world: as many do. For they consider themselves dishonored by it, [claiming that]
321–It often does good to the fool as well as the sage (but the man of understanding does view this seriously
325–May He save both beast and man, great or small!). The world makes the diligent man poor and the sleeping man rich.
329–God does this so that not even one in a hundred can claim that he does anything by his own understanding.
333–I have seen some achieve great benefit through foolishness, while others, through prudence, lose their entire undertaking.
337–That foolishness is not good which brings dishonor to its holder, nor is that foolishness bad which inspires respect.
341–I have seen many return unscathed from battle and others lie in danger within their own field tents.
345–And the doctor who recites his medical knowledge dies [nevertheless], while the shepherd is cured with all his great ignorance.
349–Great knowledge is of no avail to those who do not fear God; nor is there benefit from wealth from which the poor do not eat.
Conclusion; The True Good and the Necessity of Change (353-80)
353–When I consider the matter, I would be very happy with what I daily see causes sadness in others.
357–For if the true good is whatever I desire, then why doesn’t the man who already possesses it enjoy it?
361–This suggests that there is no true good in this world, nor is there any real evil.
365–The service of God truly is a true good, but people forget this in their pursuit of pleasure.
369–And another good similar to this: service to the King, for he sustains the people through justice and law.
373–The sum of the matter: it is great foolishness to consider all things as equal.
377–Rather, let a man change often just as the world changes: at times [let him be] a shield and at times a spear.