Comfort and Torment

Reclining upon a chaise above slaves, who serve him;
Robed in finest linen of purple hue;
No personal pleasure too small for his attention,
Is Dives, Latin, for a certain “rich man”.

Every day Dives feasts in luxury, a gourmet;
He’s choosing exotic and costly dishes.
Without utensils, his hands serve as knives and forks;
Hunks of bread wiping away excess table food.

The scene, in this world of gluttony and pleasure against poverty of necessities,
Give honor, prestige and power, to the one lazing on high.
The suffering servant and slave being only a possession- no notice be given,
Save that granted by the grand master of the great house.

Earthly prosperity, the Jews believed,
Surely is connected to the goodness of certain men.
It’s a reward of some goodness done before;
The fruit living on becomes his own self-indulgence, his own vain glory.

Common folk seldom could afford meat.
Scraps from the table overlooked by the dogs, is a good meal.
Perhaps some bread soaked in juices from the master’s mouth
Will be enough to do work for the day.

Lazarus, Latin for “God is my help”,
A beggar, whose gangrenous sores not even dogs would lick
Sits under the table awaiting some remnants;
Is just a part of the landscape, not noticed at all.

Dives is not deliberately cruel-
He doesn’t degrade or order Lazarus away from the table.
His complacency lies at the root of his evil; it’s a
A film of indifference, of unconcern, covering his eyes and his heart.

When death comes as it does to all men,
Lazarus is borne high into the bosom of Abraham.
Rich man Dives lies across the chasm burning with fire, his reward in eternal life.
Punishment and reward for the life each one led.

The new world, where the Lord of love reigns,
God directs one to always do some good.
Dives, “the diva”, is subjected to a torment of heat-
A terrible warning- the sin of doing nothing!