SONG OF THE PALANQUIN BEARERS
Better is it when it is full
than when it is empty!
Happy are they who bear the chair!
Better is it when it is full
than when it is empty!
Come down to them that they are rewarded, hail!
Come down to them that they are rewarded, health!
O reward of Ipi, be it as great as I desire!
Better is it when it is full
than when it is empty!
*Ipi is the master of the palanquin bearers. What do the workers hope to get from him?
*The palanquin bearers speak of something "full" and "empty." What is it? Why is it better "when it is full than when it is empty"?
2006-09-11 16:03:15 · 4 answers · asked by pRO luver 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
the workers hope to get recognition from their master. servants were not usually noticed, and to have their boss even acknowledge their existence would have been praise of the highest order.
the palanquin (sedan chair) is being spoken of as full and empty. if there was no rich man to hire them, they'd have no job. it is better that the chair is full because even though it might be heavy, they have work.
2006-09-11 16:10:42 · answer #1 · answered by medellia1984 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, "palanquin" means "litter," as a starting point, and a litter is a structure in which a passenger reclines while it is carried, shoulder-high, by a group of bearers.
Most likely, the palanquin is better when full (with a king in it) than empty (when the king has died) because kingship means national unity and stability. The reward that the workers hope to get from the king is his royal presence among them when he dismounts from his royal palanquin.
Intuitively, it would seem better for the workers when the palanquin is empty - literally, it is a far lighter burden then. However, their reverence for the idea of kingship makes the bearers feel that their situation is better with the king's palanquin full.
2006-09-11 23:17:19 · answer #2 · answered by silver.graph 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You see, you can try this at home. Take an empty water bottle and a full bottle, see which one have the better balance? Fill the empty one with a little water, see which one makes a louder noise when it is shaked?
(I think Confuscious mentioned the full-empty bottle theory.)
2006-09-11 23:11:26 · answer #3 · answered by Astrid Nannerl 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
not doing your homework
2006-09-11 23:13:02 · answer #4 · answered by babyblue76al 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋