Ar-Lamech of Sirap's Songs Rescued from the Deluge

He had no one but himself to thank for his education. His parents, it is true, intended for him to devote himself to trade original: "Handlung"; here referring to a career in commerce or business.; but his true calling Beruf|vocation or professional calling soon revealed itself and resisted these overly narrow prospects. In his youth, he was very reflective and rarely distracted; yet his spirit, like the rest of his person, was by no means hasty. The fruits he bore ripened slowly and were perhaps too potent and too exquisite for the stomachs of his contemporaries. Gentle, peaceful inclinations were the foundation of his character, and his heart—made for tender feelings—tempered the vigor of his intense imagination Einbildungskraft|the creative faculty of the mind and kept it within its bounds. The sweet middle way A reference to the classical ideal of "aurea mediocritas" or the golden mean—the philosophical preference for moderation over extremes. was the idol of his heart, and he often made a dear sacrifice to inflexible freedom. His fate Verhängniß|destiny or inescapable lot had condemned him to spend a large part of his life in the city, but as soon as it was possible for him, he slipped away from his dungeon,