LIV.

Waste not your Hour, nor in the vain pursuit Of this and That endeavour and dispute; Better be jocund with the fruitful Grape Than sadden after none, or Bitter, Fruit.

The inspiration for this quatrain comes from O. 50 and O. 107:

Those who are the slaves of intellect and hair-splitting,[61] Have perished in bickerings about existence and non-existence; Go, thou dunce! and choose (rather) grape juice, For the ignorant from (eating) dry raisins, have become (like) unripe grapes (themselves).[62]

_Ref._: O. 50, L. 262, T. 102, P. v. 164.--W. 216, V. 267.

How long this talk about the eternity to come, and the eternity past?[63] Now is the time of joy, there is no substitute for wine! Both theory and practice have passed beyond my ken, (But) Wine unties the knot of every difficulty.

_Ref._: O. 107, C. 312, L. 489, B. 485, B. ii. 341, T. 213, P. v. 207.--W. 304, V. 259.