When the Tree Is Mature, the Grower Is Dead
Author: Luiken, Jan, 1649-1712
Image Title: When the Tree Is Mature, the Grower Is Dead
Scripture Reference:
- Psalms 39 (further images / scripture text)
Description: Two men are contemplating a tree. A house is being built on the right side of the image; but in the background left is a funeral procession en route to a cemetery located behind a church. The Dutch artist and poet Jan Luiken (1649-1712), whose initials are at the lower right, was responsible for drawing and etching this emblem and for the poem that accompanies it (below). The attendant scripture text is Psalm 39:6-7.
Poem:
What can the poor man do,
With all his work and bustle,
Of building, planting, scraping, getting,
And whatever more drudgery there might be!
Because, alas! when it is at its best,
And is in full bloom,
Then comes the Owner’s end,
And nothing remains from all his work.
There it all moves and drifts together,
The dead things remain standing,
And he, through whom they were erected,
Has departed like a shadow.
What remains from all the needless toiling,
Which left him no attention,
To direct at an eternal object,
What else, but vanity?
While he is forgotten in the Grave,
All the goods that he possessed,
Are with pleasure owned by others,
Who are happy with his treasure.
Alas! what can the wretch do,
In such a short life,
That would gain him something better,
That would last in Eternity.
(Translation by Josephine V. Brown, with editorial assistance from William G. Stryker)
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