This, too, shall pass away...

Long ago an eastern monarch, plagued by many worries, harassed on every side, called his wise men together. He asked them to invent a motto, a few magic words that would help him in time of trial or distress. It must be brief enough to be engraved on a ring, he said, so that he could have it always before his eyes. It must be appropriate to every situation, as useful in prosperity as in adversity. It must be a motto wise and true and endlessly enduring, words by which a man could be guided all his life, in every circumstance, no matter what happened.

The wise men thought and thought, and finally came to the monarch with their magic words. They were words for every change or chance of fortune, declared the wise men… words to fit every situation, good or bad… words to ease the heart and mind in every circumstance. And the words they gave the monarch to engrave on his ring were :

This, too, shall pass away.

The words are wise and true and endlessly enduring. They have given comfort to the afflicted, courage to the frightened, hope to the worried and distressed.

One day about a hundred years ago, an American editor came across the legend and was impress its ancient wisdom. He was Paul Hamilton Hayne, distinguished also as a writer of light lyric verse. He was so enchanted by the legend that he published a brief story about it, and was at once astonished by the lively interest it created. So he decided - as many had before, and many have since - to write some verses about the famous phrase. By some mysterious alchemy, his simple lines made an enormous appeal to the public; and for years tattered copies of “This, too, shall pass away,” by Paul Hamilton Hayne, were carried around in purse and pocket - the favorite inspirational poem of thousands of people :

Art thou in misery, brother? Then I pray

Be comforted. Thy grief shall pass away.

Art thou elated? Ah, be not too gay;

Temper thy joy, this, too, shall pass away.

Art thou in danger? Still let reason sway,

And cling to hope: this, too, shall pass away.

Tempted art thou? In all thine anguish lay

One truth to heart: this, too, shall pass away.

Do rays of loftier glory round thee play?

King-like art thou? This, too, shall pass away!

Whatever thou art, wherever thy footsteps stray,

Heed these wise words: This too shall pass away!

~ Paul Hamilton Hayne

Paul Hayne’s poem won wide popularity in his own day; and it has kept circulating ever since, continuing its influence on the afflicted, the distraught, the discouraged.

They are comforting words for all of us to remember in times of trial or trouble, in times of hardship or affliction. When nothing else helps, it’s comforting to know that no pain or grief can last forever, that whatever your burden may be - this, too, shall pass away.

*****

“Come what come may, time and the hour run through the roughest day.”

~ William Shakespeare, Macbeth