Divagações / Digressions

Sophon was a soft-spoken man who was quite proud of his kleos. Hubris and anger were things he tried to keep at bay. Now, in his old age, one of his pastimes was to sit at the Temple of Apollo and marvel at the creation. While he was sitting there, he usually kept thinking about the meaning of these verses attributed to Thales:

“The most beautiful is the universe, for it is God's.

The greatest is space, for it holds all things.

The swiftest is mind, for it speeds everywhere.

The strongest, necessity, for it masters all.

The wisest, time, for it brings everything to light."

The fact that the paroimia on the wall of the naon were dedicated to Apollo may indicate that they were the winning words of a contest. But the teachings were superb.

One day, a beautiful migrant bird landed near the place where he was sitting. Looking closer, he noticed that it was injured in its left wing. Moved by the bird’s suffering, he decided to take care of it. Patiently he did his best to treat its wounds. Step by step the bird’s wounds started healing. It used to circle around him graciously for reassurance, but little by little the bird became more daring and started cruising the skies in the neighboring woods.

Sophon knew that one day the bird would fly away to its warmer habitat. He had mixed feelings… He would miss it but he had managed something: the bird had regained its ability to fly. “What will be, will be”, he thought. He knew life had to take its course but he had an inner satisfaction in what he had accomplished.

One early morning he arrived at the Temple  and noticed that the bird was no longer there. He looked at the sky and for a brief second he had the impression of spotting a gracious figure, reunited with its swarm, moving eastwards against the first  golden washes of light.

He smiled gently and, appeased, returned to his thoughts and once again marveled at the mystery of life…

JB, May 2007