CENTURIA IX · QUATRAIN IX
The Fire-Water
Quand lampe ardente de feu inextinguible,
Sera trouvu00e9 au temple des Vestales,
Enfant trouvu00e9 feu, eau passant par trible:
Perir eau Nimes, Tholose cheoir les halles.
When the burning lamp of inextinguishable fire
shall be found in the temple of the Vestals,
a foundling by fire, water passing through the sieve:
perish the waters of Nimes, Toulouse sees its market halls fall.
THE MASTER SAYS…
Brenda said: “He says that this quatrain turned out to be obscure and relates to a series of events. On the one hand, it relates to the American and French Revolutions and to how one was caused by the other. He also says that in another sense it relates to Prohibition in the United States and the Great Depression and to how this affected countries around the world. It is a reference to the market. He said that due to the obscurity of the translation, he may not be able to answer all your questions. He says that this relates to freedom. He says that this relates to America’s break with Great Britain. He says that fire-water refers to war, to revolution. And passing through a sieve refers to… England tried to maintain a monopoly on its colonial markets, and they began to separate in this way. It is like trying to squeeze a handful of sand very tightly. It will sift out of your hand. And therefore the main reason for America’s separation from Great Britain was economic reasons. Partly, yes. He says that this also relates to the revolution. He says that there were many naval battles — American ships pirate-attacked British ones. In another interpretation — yes. In another interpretation he says that ‘fire-water’ (in American colloquial English) refers to liquor, which was outlawed in the United States. He says that he has no time for foolishness.”