I have been putting off writing this post for a long time, which brings to mind the old adage: “Procrastination is the thief of time.”

Few readers may know that its earliest usage arose in a lengthly poem entitled:
“The Complaint — Night Thoughts on Life, Death and Immorality” by Edward Young (1663—1765), more popularly known as “Night Thoughts.” It contains nine parts, each written in free verse, reflecting on the death of his spouse and friends over a series of nine nights. Young wrote the poem between 1742—1745, an era when people arguably enjoyed more time for reflection than they do now. I quote a few lines from “Night the First.”

Be wise today, ’tis madness to defer;
Next day the fatal precedent will plead;
Thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life:
Procrastination is the thief of time,
Year after year it steals, till all are fled,
And to the mercies of a moment leaves
The vast concerns of an eternal scene.

Young’s poem contains some ten thousand lines, of which just one line became immortal. Notably, the length of the poem provides a perfect excuse to procrastinate its reading.

Procrastination is also a trait of traitors. Aaron Burr, perhaps America’s first and best known traitor, adopted a different approach: “Never do today what you can as well do tomorrow, as something may occur to make you regret your premature action.” (Life of Aaron Burr by James Parton (1822—1891.) Unfortunately, if Burr had procrastinated one more day, he may have avoided conspiring with the enemy.

On a happier note, procrastination became fodder for humorists. Mark Twain added to Burr’s offering, with some humor: “Never put off till tomorrow what may be done the day after tomorrow just as well.” (Goodreads.) Oscar Wilde adopted another tact, twisting the thought by substituting punctuality for procrastination: “Punctuality is the thief of time,” for being on time wastes your time, since everyone else is always late. (Picture of Dorian Gray.)

Appropriately, I conclude this post with a terse Ben Franklin saying: “You may delay, but time will not.”

As noted in my previous post, a sesquipedalian (a person who uses long words) will draw attention to brobdingnagian (huge) words, not so much for usage as for wonderment. I turn now to more three ‘little’ words, which ring with titillating sonority:

1) Onomatopoeia (pronounced ona – may – ta’ – pee – a) is a BIG word for sound imitation. It defines the formation of words whose sound is imitative of the noise or action designated, such as hiss, buzz, or bang; and the use of such words for poetic or rhetorical effect. (The Free Dictionary.)

2) Tintinnabulation (pronounced tin – tin – ab – u – la’ – tion) defines the ringing or sounding of bells; a jingling or tingling sound, as of bells. It derives from the Latin words tintinnabulum, the noun for “bell,” and tintinnarem the verb “to ring.” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary.) The sounds of bells invoke many onomatopoeic words, which toll and roll, clang and clash, jingle and jangle.

3) Reverberation: A sound that echoes; a prolongation of sound. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Google dictionary) Unlike the other two words, reverberatation is well known to most people, who recognize it in useage and in real chime.

“The Bells”, a four stanza poem written by Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849), uses onomatopoeia throughout – – a pleasurable tintinnabulation with syncopated reverberation. With ‘little’ words like that, the ring is rung, the ding is done, the dong is gone. To paraphrase a famous Shakespearean quote from Romeo & Juliet: Tintinnabulation by any other name would reverberate as well.

Poe’s poem, written shortly before his death in October 1849, keeps a syncopated, pulsing rhythm:

“Keeping time, time, time
In sort of Runic rhyme,
to the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells bells, bells
Bells, bells bells
From the jingling and the tinkling of
The bells.”

As Poe’s bells swing and ring, they tinkle, jingle, jangle, wrangle, clamor, clang, clash, roar, twang, knell, toll, roll, rhyme, chime, scream, shriek, throb, sob, moan and groan. Poe leaves no tone unturned!

He addresses all kinds and shapes of bells including silver, gold, iron and alarm bells. By the end of the poem, one’s nerves are wrung, frayed and frazzled. Additionally, for reasons unknown, Poe used unusual indentations to emphasize the sounds. “The Bells” poem captures the meaning of the three ‘little’ words above, and remains a work best read aloud to please the ear.

Upon reading the title “Three ‘Little’ Words”, a predictable reader reaction would associate them with the well-known 1930 song by Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar, who defined them as:

“Three little words,
Eight little letters,
Which simply mean, I love you.”

Though hopefully not perceived as a “bait and switch” theme, I intended something quite different. My three ‘little’ words are not little in length; but big words, little in use. Consider the following:

(1) Brobdingnagian (pronounced brahb – dinj, – nag’ – ee – an), a fourteen letter mouthful which means “gigantic”, “marked by tremendous size,” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) or as the current Republican presidential nominee would say: “HUGH!” The origin stems from Jonathan Swift’s novel Gulliver’s Travels, which named Brobdingnag as the land of giants, where everyone and everything loomed unusually large. I contemplated entitling this post:  Three Brobdingnagian Words, but I did not wish to appear ostentatious.

(2) Schadenfreude (pronounced sha’ – den – froy – day) a thirteen letter gem which rolls off the lips with purpose, even if one neither knows the meaning nor speaks German. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary defines it as “enjoyment obtained from others’ troubles; from German: Schaden: damage; Freude: joy.” in effect, experiencing joy in the misfortunes of others.

In modern day, our polarized politics vaporized the center, so any victory by one side quickly engages in schadenfreude against the losing side. As young children learn sportsmanship by walking through opposing lines slapping hands with a short utterance of “good game,” their parents separate and schadenfreude the other side with jeers and obscene hand signs.

After the former Seattle Supersonics basketball team moved its franchise to Oklahoma City after 40 years, and changed its team name to Thunder, the former Seattle fans expressed supersonic schadenfreude when the Thunder lost in the 2016 NBA Championship semifinal game. I suppose, if they cannot have them, wish them evil.

(3) Sesquipedalian (pronounced sess – kwi – ped’ – al – ian) another fourteen letter behemoth, which rounds out this post regarding  ‘little’ used big words. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as: “ given to or characterized by the use of long words.” Not much more to add here, but it brings a lesson to the table. A modified Strunk & White edict: “Never use a brobdingnagian word, when a huge one will do.”

To complete this post, I will use my “three ‘little’ words” in a sentence: Only a sesquipedalian would use brobdingnagian words to express schadenfreude.

Most of us must engage in some form of gainful employment to earn a living. To help ease the pain, we search for wisdom to help us through the burden. Reflect on two famous quotes:

(1) “Nothing is work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” attributed to George Halas (1895-1983), football player, coach and owner of the Chicago Bears; but another similar quote: “Nothing is really work, unless you would rather be doing something else,” is attributed to a British playwright, James Barrie (1890-1937.)  I will pass over who plagiarized whom, but I prefer the Halas quote because it omits an unnecessary adverb, thus adding greater power to the message.

(2) “Nothing will work, unless you do,” attributed to Maja Angelo (1928-2014), a catchy directive to live by.

As one reflects on those quotes, we are reminded of other adages, like: “put a shoulder to the wheel”, “keep their nose to the grindstone” and “focus on the task at hand.” Their simplicity overlies a deep philosophical meaning, related to dedication, passion, and focus. At difficult moments, reflecting on them can motivate a person to focus on what needs to be done and to resolve not to do anything else until you complete it.

But, enough about work! Lets consider the obverse: “The joy of doing nothing”, the author’s panacea for taking a much needed break from too much work. Certainly, taking a break in work: to relax, to refresh and to reflect, merits contemplation. Enjoying a moment of pure leisure, or deep meditation, provides needed balance. Of course, one cannot expect perfect balance; i.e., 50% work; 50% leisure, but a modicum of leisure will reward a plenitude of work.

In addition to doing nothing, known in the vernacular as “chilling out,” we all know some “workers,” who strive to do anything other than work, like playing games on office computers, holding meetings with little purpose, conversing socially with friends over company telephones, and on it goes. To be sure, these folks fall between the leisure/work balance, and reject the “Nothing is/will work . . .” directives. Unfortunately, without a paycheck, they cannot afford to engage in their “rather be doing something else” reverie, and ultimately come full circle to accept, “Nothing will work, unless you do.”

The well-known proverb: “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise,” has been attributed to Benjamin Franklin and recorded in his famous work: “Poor Richard’s Almanack” (1732), a collection of aphorisms and proverbs. Of course, Poor Richard’s Almanack rightly proclaimed them to be a collection from other sources, including public lore, and perhaps other authors. In Franklin’s time, early to bed must have been commonplace. When the sun passed over the horizon, the environs became dark, perhaps with some faint illumination from a flickering candle light or a full moon. In modern times, the proverb seems to evolve around one’s station in life. I recall passing through four stages:

Stage one: As a young child, I lived that old adage, but not by choice. To be sure, my parents urged we kids to keep an early bedtime, hoping perhaps that it would guide us onto the worthy path to achieve health, wealth, and wisdom; but more likely they used it as a ruse to achieve early bedtime, so they could enjoy a quiet evening free from bothersome children. Every parent strives for young children follow the first part with ardent hope that they will achieve the payoff.

Stage two: In my teens and early adulthood, however, I did have a choice, and opted to adjust that time-honored adage to: “Late to bed, late to rise, makes a person grumpy, hungry and one of the guys.” My age cohort had no need to worry about health, wealth and wisdom. Fun, friends and camaraderie took priority. indeed, sowing ones wild oats remains an important and necessary stage to prepare for a life of work — but not too soon.

Stage three: After college graduation, and facing a lifelong career, the adage returned nearly to its original form, as “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a person, ready, worthy and wide eyed,” ideally more focused on work ethic and advancement than health, but became another necessary stage to master. One could not hope for success without adopting a strong work ethic, which required sufficient sleep.

Stage four: As my career wound down into retirement, “Early to bed” remained, but the “early to rise” faded into a more relaxed sense of when to rise. After all, a retiree, may arise whenever he wishes — because he can. With each passing year, a senior requires more sleep to restore enough energy to meet the day’s demands than they required in their youth. The aphorism amends to: “Early to bed, hopeful to rise, makes a person achy, wrinkly but alive.”

My previous post pitted one proverb against another, which prompted me to continue with a few more.  Amazingly, despite their compacted wisdom, so many proverbs render contrary advise. Consider further:

When away from a loved one, “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” offers solace; but “Out of Sight; Out of Mind,” evokes fear. Surely, some military personnel in remote locations may bond closer to their loved ones, as through exchange of love letters; but the notorious “Dear John” letters often arrive like a meat cleaver from an impatient love, indubitably as a result of being apart for too long. Though not a proverb, the well-known song from the musical “Finian’s Rainbow”, popularized by Frank Sinatra: “When I am not near the girl I love; I love the girl I’m near,” suggests that a middle ground may exist between the two.

“Knowledge is power” teeters against “Ignorance is bliss,” so which is it? Of the two, I much prefer the former, and strive to avoid being kept in the dark, despite the promised bliss. If one had to choose between the states of knowledge or ignorance, knowledge would prevail, of course, for few people wish to remain ignorant, though they may fail to do what is needed to obtain knowledge.

The proverb “Knowledge is power,” may be bolstered by “Two heads are better than one,” which does not mean “The more the merrier.” The latter raises frivolity rather than serious thought. But whenever two or more heads get together, stark reality sinks in: “If you want something done right, do it yourself.”

To be sure, when confronted with physical exertion, we all agree that “Many hands make light work.” But despite all the help, we must keep the task at hand in mind, for “Too many cooks spoil the broth.”

As a writer, I believe that “The pen is mightier than the sword,” and not just because I prefer writing to fighting. A fighter’s motto, however, may be the obverse: “Actions speak louder than words.” In other words, a slap upside a writer’s head does command attention. Amen.