Five Proverbs from an Allegorical City

Fumigatio Via Dolorosa, believed by many to be the last ur-saint left in our city, was entreated (recently) by a group of enthusiastic pilgrims to share some guidance on how to live life. At first he insisted that it was impossible to truly teach wisdom, except perhaps wisdom of the musical kind; though even that, he said, could be accomplished only by means of a carefully systematized program of instruction (in both performance and appreciation) begun by pupils at an early age. 

When pressed however, he admitted that the following five proverbs, still current in one of the two dialects of the city, could be said to have originated with him:

1. The cartwheels of children light the sun.
2. Eat when you eat, sleep when you sleep.
3. The sweet ring of thought, dunked in the experience of the senses, suffices as enjoyment to the wise.
4. Consign clock and cares to the dusty shelf. 
5. The true book of faith is a lively romance.

“A great poet, whose work I love,” (he went on to say) “once said that it was impossible to live by more than a handful of proverbs. Choose this handful, and you will live a reasonably wise life. But above all, I prescribe good music; listen (whenever you come upon it) to good music, approaching it in the spirit of poverty and loss. Music is our most elemental muse, the art most reliably expressive of the nutritive deep. So music should be the worm ahead of you, as you seek the root-tips of the Tree.”

HB