Eating and Drinking

2 min

Then an old man, a keeper of an inn, said, Speak to us of Eating and Drinking.

Then an old man who ran an inn said, “Tell us about Eating and Drinking.”

And he said:

Would that you could live on the fragrance of the earth, and like an air plant be sustained by the light.

I wish you could live on the earth's fragrance and, like an air plant, be nourished by light.

But since you must kill to eat, and rob the newly born of its mother’s milk to quench your thirst, let it then be an act of worship,

But you must kill to eat and take a newborn’s mother’s milk to satisfy your thirst. So let these acts be acts of worship.

And let your board stand an altar on which the pure and the innocent of forest and plain are sacrificed for that which is purer and still more innocent in man.

Let your table be an altar. On it, the pure and innocent creatures of forest and plain are sacrificed for what is purer and even more innocent in humanity.

When you kill a beast say to him in your heart,

When you kill an animal, say to it in your heart,

“By the same power that slays you, I too am slain; and I too shall be consumed. For the law that delivered you into my hand shall deliver me into a mightier hand.

“The same power that kills you kills me too, and I too will be consumed. For the law that placed you in my hand will place me in a more powerful hand.

Your blood and my blood is naught but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven.”

Your blood and my blood are nothing but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven.”

And when you crush an apple with your teeth, say to it in your heart,

And when you bite into an apple, say to it in your heart,

“Your seeds shall live in my body,

“Your seeds will live in my body,

And the buds of your tomorrow shall blossom in my heart,

And the buds of your tomorrow will blossom in my heart,

And your fragrance shall be my breath, And together we shall rejoice through all the seasons.”

And your fragrance will be my breath, and together we will rejoice through all the seasons.”

And in the autumn, when you gather the grapes of your vineyards for the winepress, say in your heart,

And in autumn, when you gather grapes from your vineyards for the winepress, say in your heart,

“I too am a vineyard, and my fruit shall be gathered for the winepress,

“I too am a vineyard, and my fruit will be gathered for the winepress,

And like new wine I shall be kept in eternal vessels.”

And like new wine, I will be kept in eternal vessels.”

And in winter, when you draw the wine, let there be in your heart a song for each cup;

And in winter, when you pour the wine, let your heart sing for each cup.

And let there be in the song a remembrance for the autumn days, and for the vineyard, and for the winepress.

And let the song remember the autumn days, the vineyard, and the winepress.