The Builder

There was a man who was a great builder.

He was skilled in his craft.

 

He saw a river which needed a bridge

In order to be safely forded;

Therefore, he set to task

Building that bridge.

 

It was his only occupation for ten years,

And he lived off the fruit of other’s aid

Because he could neither afford to gain an income

For all his time was spent building the bridge

That was needed to get to the pastures on the other side.

 

The peoples became wroth with him,

Though, believing his work was for nothing

And therefore those who aided him

Wanted him to obtain employment

And therefore cease from building the bridge.

The shepherds told him to cease

His fathers told him to cease

His mothers, his friends, and his aunts and uncles

All told him to stop building the bridge.

For, they believed that the bridge was not worthy employment

And believed that the ten years were spent in vain.

 

It had happened that the man was finished with the bridge

But for spite, none of the peoples of the towns would use it.

For, they were haughty and said, “The man had not gained an income

“These past ten years, and spent his whole fortune

“On building a bridge. Therefore, none of us will use it

“For though the toll is affordable, we believe he ought to have been

“Employed by us, so we could exact his labor for nothing.”

Therefore, the peoples did not use the bridge

Because they had become jealous that he had finished what he set out to do

And secretly wished him to be like them

Working for unjust and unfair wages;

Therefore, they would not give him his wages.

 

It soon came to pass that a great flood of troubles was upon the land

Where the peoples needed to ford the river.

The peoples all saw the signs, great thunder clouds

Were amassing, and the clouds would return after the rains.

Therefore, the people were still haughty

And decided that in spite of the bridge being built

They would ford the river where it was shallow.

They got to the place, where though it was shallow normally

The rapids were so strong they could carry a horse away.

The peoples stubbornly said, “This bridge is not sacred,”

And, lo, the bridge was not sacred, this they were right.

But, the bridge was built when the waters were shallow

So the people could find safe pasture into the other lands.

The man, however, had crossed the ford with his wife and children

Safely, and there found pasture on the other side.

When the neighboring village saw him

They were astonished that only he had crossed—

For the other bank was high, and went up to mountain roads.

They said, “Had you not worked for ten years on this bridge?

“And had not the peoples of your own town been wise enough to cross it

“Instead of Fording the rivers? We surely would have taken the whole

“Of them, except bodies are washing ashore where they seemed to have crossed.”

 

That is this generation.

A man has his skilled work, but none want it and complain

That he is lazy.