734 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
734 lines
32 KiB
Plaintext
Husband And Wife
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World Scripture
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HUSBAND AND WIFE
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The horizontal axis of family life is manifested primarily in the mutual love
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between husband and wife. The bond of marriage is regarded as divinely
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ordained in most religious traditions. As such, it carries with it the promise
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of God's blessing, and should be full of love and joy.
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But love is not merely a matter of unfettered emotion. Subsequent passages
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spell out some of the responsibilities of marriage for both the husband and
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wife. The husband should honor his wife, never oppress or mistreat her, and
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always be faithful--and the wife should do likewise. The scriptures of all
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religions also distinguish between roles of the husband and wife: the husband
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protects and supports his wife, the head of the household yet deferring to his
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wife in domestic affairs. The wife is obedient to her husband, serves him with
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kindness, and takes primary responsibility for raising the children. While of
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late these traditional roles have been questioned, they have served to
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strengthen the bonds of family through every generation. Finally, we include
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several passages on the subject of the good wife.
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Not those are true husband and wife that with each other [merely] consort:
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Truly wedded are those that in two frames, are as one light.
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1. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var-Suhi-Ki, M.3, p. 788
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I am He, you are She;
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I am Song, you are Verse,
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I am Heaven, you are Earth.
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We two shall here together dwell,
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becoming parents of children.
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2. Hinduism. Atharva Veda 14.2.71
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Sweet be the glances we exchange,
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our faces showing true concord.
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Enshrine me in your heart and let
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one spirit dwell within us.
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I wrap around you this my robe
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which came to me from Manu,
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so that you may be wholly mine
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and never seek another.
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3. Hinduism. Atharva Veda 7.36-37
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Representing heaven and earth, I have created husband and wife. This is the
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beginning of the world.
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4. Tenrikyo. Mikagura-uta
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In the beginning there was only the Self, one only. He desired, "May I have a
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wife in order to have offspring; may I have wealth in order to perform a
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work!"--for desire reaches this far. Even if one wishes, one cannot obtain
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more than this. As long as one does not attain each of these [desires], he
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thinks himself to be incomplete.
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He found no joy; so even today, one who is all alone finds no joy. He yearned
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for a second. He became as large as a man and a woman locked in close embrace.
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This self he split into two; hence arose husband and wife. Therefore, as
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Yajnavalkya used to observe, "Oneself is like half of a split pea." That is why
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this void is filled by woman. He was united with her, and thence were born
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human beings.
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5. Hinduism. Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.17 and 1.4.3
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Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will
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make him a helper fit for him." So out of the ground the Lord God formed every
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beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to
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see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature,
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that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the
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air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a
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helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man,
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and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and
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the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and
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brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones
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and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of
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Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his
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wife, and they become one flesh.
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6. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Genesis 2.18-24
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.17 and 1.4.3: This is an account of the creation
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of pairs from the primordial Androgyne. Cf. Prasna Upanishad 1.4-5, p. 176;
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Maori Tradition, p. 311a. Genesis 2.18-24: These verses give divine sanction
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to marriage. Jesus used them to declare that divorce was not acceptable to
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God--see Mark 10.2-12, p. 475.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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The verse, "And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent" (Genesis
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24.67), our masters have interpreted to mean that the Divine Presence came into
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Isaac's house along with Rebecca. According to the secret doctrine, the
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supernal Mother is together with the male only when the house is in readiness
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and at the time the male and female are conjoined. At such time blessings are
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showered forth by the supernal Mother upon them.
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7. Judaism. Zohar, Genesis 101b
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The moral man finds the moral law beginning in the relation between man and
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woman, but ending in the vast reaches of the universe.
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8. Confucianism. Doctrine of the Mean 12
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The point at which Adam and Eve join into one body as husband and wife is also
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the point at which God, the subject of love, and man, the object of beauty,
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become one union, thus establishing the center of goodness. Here, for the first
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time, the purpose of creation is accomplished. God, our Parent, is able to
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abide with perfected men as His children, and peacefully rest for eternity. At
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that time, this center would become the object of God's eternal love, and
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through this, God would be stimulated with happiness for eternity. Here God's
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Word would be physically incarnated for the first time in human history....
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However, the universe lost this center when man fell.
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9. Unification Church. Divine Principle I.1.2.3.4
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Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who has created all
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things to his glory.
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Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, Creator of humankind.
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Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who created humankind
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in his image, in the image of the likeness of his form, and has prepared for
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him from his very own person an eternal building. Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
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Creator of man.
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May you be glad and exultant, O barren one, when her children are gathered to
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her with joy. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makes Zion joyful through her
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children.
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May Thou make joyful these beloved companions, just as Thou gladdened Thy
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creatures in the Garden of Eden in primordial times. Blessed art Thou, O Lord,
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who makes bridegroom and bride to rejoice.
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Blessed art Thou, O Lord, King of the universe, who created mirth and joy,
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bridegroom and bride, gladness, jubilation, dancing and delight, love and
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brotherhood, peace and fellowship. Quickly, O Lord our God, may the sound of
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mirth and joy be heard in the streets of Judah and Jerusalem, the voice of
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bridegroom and bride, jubilant voices of bridegrooms from their canopies and
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youths from the feasts of song. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who makes the
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bridegroom rejoice with the bride.
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10. Judaism. Talmud, Ketubot 8a
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Doctrine of the Mean 12: Cf. I Ching 54, p. 123. Divine Principle I.1.2.3.4:
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The Blessing, or holy wedding, is the chief sacrament in the Unification
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Church. Blessed marriages are for eternity. Cf. Divine Principle I.2.2.2, p.
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429. Ketubot 8a: These six benedictions are recited at the wedding ceremony.
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The 'building' refers to the creation of Eve from Adam's rib, as well as the
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household of the family. The reference to God as the Creator of humankind
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denotes that marriage is God's design for the perpetuation of the human race,
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which began with the blessing to Adam and Eve in Eden. The last benediction
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connects the joy of the newlyweds with the eschatological joy at the
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fulfillment of God's kingdom in Jerusalem. Bridal 'canopies' are used at all
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Jewish weddings.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; and in order to
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obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood (meaning
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the new and everlasting covenant of marriage); and if he does not, he cannot
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obtain it.
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And again, verily I say unto you, if a man marry a wife by my word, which is my
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law, and by the new and everlasting covenant, and is sealed unto them by the
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Holy Spirit of promise, by him who is anointed, unto whom I have appointed this
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power and the keys of this priesthood; and it shall be said unto them--Ye shall
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come forth in the first resurrection... and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms,
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principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths--then shall it be
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written in the Lamb's Book of Life... and shall be of full force when they are
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out of the world; and they shall pass by the angels, and the gods, which are
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set there, to their exaltation and glory in all things, as hath been sealed
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upon their heads, which glory shall be a fulness and a continuation of the
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seeds forever and ever.
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11. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Doctrine and Covenants
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131.1-3, 132.19
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Among His signs is that He created spouses for you among yourselves that you
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may console yourselves with them. He has planted affection and mercy between
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you.
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12. Islam. Qur'an 30.21
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Set me as a seal upon your heart,
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as a seal upon your arm;
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For love is strong as death,
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jealousy is cruel as the grave.
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Its flashes are flashes of fire,
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a most vehement flame.
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Many waters cannot quench love,
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neither can floods drown it.
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If a man offered for love
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all the wealth of his house,
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it would be utterly scorned.
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13. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Song of Solomon 8.6-7
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Doctrine and Covenants 131.1-3, 132.19: Latter-day Saints of pure faith, who
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are members of the priesthood, may enter into Temple Marriage, which
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establishes an eternal, indissoluble bond.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Kwan-kwan go the ospreys,
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On the islet in the river.
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The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady--
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For our prince a good mate is she.
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Here long, there short, is the duckweed,
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To the left, to the right, borne about by the current.
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The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady--
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Waking and sleeping, he sought her.
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He sought her and found her not,
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And waking and sleeping he thought about her.
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Long he thought; oh! long and anxiously;
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On his side, on his back, he turned, and back again.
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Here long, there short, is the duckweed;
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On the left, on the right, we gather it.
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The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady--
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With lutes, small and large, let us give her friendly welcome.
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Here long, there short, is the duckweed;
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On the left, on the right, we cook and present it.
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The modest, retiring, virtuous, young lady--
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With bells and drums let us show delight in her.
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14. Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 1
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Book of Songs, Ode 1: This ode begins by describing a lover's anxiety as he
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awaits his bride, and ends with the joy of friends and family at their wedding.
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Many interpret the ode as describing the virtue of a bride of King Wen, as
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shown by her modest disposition and retiring manner. The king's anxiety and
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long quest to obtain his bride is often remarked. The sound of male and female
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ospreys answering each other at a distance alludes to the distance between the
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lovers; the soft duckweed gathered and presented as an offering alludes to
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their union. Confucius cites this ode, see Analects 3.20, p. 921, as a model
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of restrained pleasure, of joy not carried to extremes. Cf. Song of Solomon
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3:1-5, pp. 763f.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Kaen-kwan went the axle ends of my carriage,
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As I thought of the young beauty, and went to fetch her.
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It was not that I was hungry or thirsty,
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But I longed for one of such virtuous fame to come and be with me.
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Although no good friends be with us, we will feast and be glad.
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Dense is that forest in the plain,
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And there sit the long-tailed pheasants.
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In her proper season that well-grown lady,
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With her admirable virtue, is come to instruct me.
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We will feast, and I will praise her.
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"I love you, and will never be weary of you."
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Although I have no good spirits,
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We will drink, and perhaps be satisfied.
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Although I have no good viands,
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We will eat, and perhaps be satisfied.
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Although I have no virtue to impart to you,
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We will sing and dance.
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I ascend that lofty ridge,
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And split the branches of the oaks for firewood.
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I split the branches of the oaks for firewood
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Amid the luxuriance of their leaves.
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I see you whose match is seldom to be seen,
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And my whole heart is satisfied.
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The high hill is seen above;
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The great road is easy to travel,
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My four steeds advanced without stopping;
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The six reins [make music] in my hands like lute-strings.
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I see you, my bride,
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To the comfort of my heart.
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15. Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 218
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The union of hearts and minds
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and freedom from hate I'll bring you.
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Love one another as the cow
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loves the calf that she has borne.
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Let son be loyal to father,
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and of one mind with his mother;
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let wife speak to husband words
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that are honey-sweet and gentle.
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Let not a brother hate a brother,
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nor a sister hate a sister,
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unanimous, united in aims,
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speak you words with friendliness.
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I will make the prayer for that
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concord among men at home
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by which the gods do not separate,
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nor ever hate one another.
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Be not parted--growing old, taking thought,
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thriving together, moving under a common yoke,
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come speaking sweetly to one another;
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I'll make you have one aim and be of one mind.
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Common be your water-store, common your share of food;
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I bind you together to a common yoke.
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United, gather round the sacrificial fire
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like spokes around the nave of a wheel.
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With your common desire I'll make you all
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have one aim, be of one mind, following one leader,
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like the gods who preserve their immortality.
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Morn and eve may there be the loving heart in you.
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16. Hinduism. Atharva Veda 3.30
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Atharva Veda 3.30: This hymn sets forth the ideal of the Hindu family. Cf. Rig
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Veda 10.191.2-4, p. 272.
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Behold the comely forms of Surya!
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her border-cloth and her headwear,
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and her garment triply parted,
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these the priest has sanctified.
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I take your hand for good fortune, that you
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may attain old age with me, your husband. The solar deities--
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Bhaga, Aryaman, Savitri, Purandhi--
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have given you to me to be mistress of my household.
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Pushan, arouse her, the most blissful one;
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through whom a new generation will spring to life.
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She, in the ardor of her love, will meet me,
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and I, ardently loving, will meet her....
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Live you two here, be not parted,
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enjoy the full length of life,
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sporting with your sons and grandsons,
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rejoicing in your own abode.
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May Prajapati bring forth children of us, may
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Aryaman unite us together till old age,
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Not inauspicious, enter your husband's house,
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be gracious to our people and animals.
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Come, not with fierce looks, not harming your husband,
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good to animals, kind-hearted and glorious,
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a mother of heroes, loving the gods,
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pleasant, gracious to humans and to animals.
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Make her, thou bounteous Indra,
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a good mother of sons; grant her
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good fortune; give her ten sons
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and make her husband the eleventh.
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Be a queen to your father-in-law,
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a queen to your mother-in-law,
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a queen to your husband's sisters,
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and a queen to your husband's brothers.
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May the universal Devas
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and Apas join our hearts together;
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so may Matarisvan, Dhatri,
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and Dveshtri unite us both.
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17. Hinduism. Rig Veda 10.85.35-47
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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Rig Veda 10.85.35-47: Vv. 35-37, 42-47. This is the traditional Hindu marriage
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vow and blessings. The bride is Surya, daughter of the solar deity Savitri; she
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is the prototype of all brides. 'Her husband the eleventh' means the wife will
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mother her husband in his old age; 'queen' describes the wife's status as head
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of the household.
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- - - - - - - - - - - -
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A man is forbidden to compel his wife to her marital duty.
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18. Judaism. Talmud, Erubin 100b
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"Your wife has rights over you," said the Prophet, according to Abu Juhaifa.
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19. Islam. Hadith of Bukhari
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Your wives are as a tilth to you: so approach your tilth when or how you will;
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but do some good act for your souls beforehand, and fear God.
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20. Islam. Qur'an 2.223
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He who loves his wife as himself; who honors her more than himself; who rears
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his children in the right path, and who marries them off at the proper time of
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their life, concerning him it is written: "And you will know that your home is
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at peace."
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21. Judaism. Talmud, Yebamot 62
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Do not abuse your wife. Women are sacred. If you make your wife suffer, you
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will die in a short time. Our grandmother, Earth, is a woman, and in abusing
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your wife you are abusing her. By thus abusing our grandmother, who takes care
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of us, by your action you will be practically killing yourself.
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22. Native American Religions. A Winnebago Father's Precepts
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When women are honored, there the gods are pleased; but where they are not
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honored, no sacred rite yields rewards. When the female relations live in
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grief, the family soon wholly perishes; but that family where they are not
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unhappy ever prospers.
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23. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 3.56-57
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From woman is man born, inside her he is conceived;
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To woman man is engaged, and woman he marries.
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With woman is man's companionship.
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>From woman originate new generations.
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Should woman die, is another sought;
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By woman's help is man kept in restraint.
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Why revile her of whom are born great ones of the earth?
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24. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Asa-ki-Var, M.1, p. 473
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It is well for a man not to touch a woman. But because of the temptation to
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immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.
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The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife
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to her husband. For the wife does not rule over her own body, but the husband
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does; likewise the husband does not rule over his body, but the wife does. Do
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not refuse one another except perhaps by agreement for a season, that you may
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devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, lest Satan tempt you
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through lack of self-control. I say this by way of concession, not of
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command....
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To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is well for them to remain single
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as I do. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it
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is better to marry than to be aflame with passion.
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25. Christianity. Bible, 1 Corinthians 7.1-9
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Each one of you has ties to others, so marry them with their family's consent
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and give them their marriage portions decently as matrons rather than taking
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them on as mistresses, nor having [any secret affairs with] them as
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girlfriends.... That goes for any of you who worries lest he may not control
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his impulses; however it is better for you to discipline yourselves.
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26 Islam. Qur'an 4.25
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A virtuous wife who, after the death of her husband, constantly remains chaste
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even though she have no son, will reach heaven just as do men living a life of
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renunciation....
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27. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 5.160
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It floats about, that boat of cypress wood,
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There in the middle of the Ho.
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|
With his two tufts of hair falling over his forehead,
|
|
He was my mate;
|
|
And I swear that till death I will have no other.
|
|
O mother, O Heaven,
|
|
Why will you not understand me?
|
|
|
|
It floats about, that boat of cypress wood,
|
|
There by the side of the Ho.
|
|
With his two tufts of hair falling over his forehead,
|
|
He was my only one;
|
|
And I swear that till death I will not do the evil thing.
|
|
O mother, O Heaven,
|
|
Why will you not understand me?
|
|
|
|
28. Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 45
|
|
|
|
The possession of many wives undermines a man's moral nature.
|
|
|
|
29. Hinduism. Srimad Bhagavatam 11.3
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Laws of Manu 5.160: According to Hindu tradition, a virtuous widow will remain
|
|
chaste and not remarry. However noble this ethic may be, it leaves widows
|
|
destitute if their relatives or society do not take on the responsibility of
|
|
supporting them. Cf. Mencius I.B.5, p. 1068. Book of Songs, Ode 45: This poem
|
|
was sung by Kung Chiang, the widow of the prince Kung-po of Wei. Her mother
|
|
wanted to force her into a second marriage, and she protests. The Chinese have
|
|
always considered the refusal of a widow to marry again to be a great virtue.
|
|
Cf. I Ching 54, p. 123.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
You will not be able to deal equally between your wives, however much you wish
|
|
to do so.
|
|
|
|
30. Islam. Qur'an 4.129
|
|
|
|
Whoever has many wives will have troubles in surfeit.
|
|
He will be deceitful, he will lie, he will betray [some of them] to have them
|
|
together;
|
|
It is not certain that he can have peace to pray well.
|
|
|
|
31. African Traditional Religions. Yoruba Poem (Nigeria)
|
|
|
|
Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because God has given the one
|
|
more strength than the other, and because they support them from their means.
|
|
Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in the husband's
|
|
absence what God would have them guard.
|
|
|
|
32. Islam. Qur'an 4.34
|
|
|
|
All of you are guardians and are responsible for your wards. The ruler is a
|
|
guardian; the man is a guardian of his family; the lady is a guardian and is
|
|
responsible for her husband's house and his offspring; and so all of you are
|
|
guardians and are responsible for your wards.
|
|
|
|
33. Islam. Hadith of Bukhari
|
|
|
|
In the family women's appropriate place is within; men's, without. When men
|
|
and women keep their proper places they act in accord with Heaven's great norm.
|
|
Among the members of the family are the dignified master and mistress whom we
|
|
term father and mother. When father, mother, sons, elder and younger brothers
|
|
all act in a manner suited to their various positions within the family, when
|
|
husbands play their proper role and wives are truly wifely, the way of that
|
|
family runs straight. It is by the proper regulation of each family that the
|
|
whole world is stabilized.
|
|
|
|
34. Confucianism. I Ching 37: The Family
|
|
|
|
My dear sisters the women, you have had a hard life to live in this world, yet
|
|
without you this world would not be what it is. Wakan Tanka intends that you
|
|
should bear much sorrow--comfort others in time of sorrow. By your hands the
|
|
family moves.
|
|
|
|
35. Native American Religions. Sioux Tradition of the Sacred Pipe
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Qur'an 4.129: The Qur'an sanctions a man to support as many as four wives, but
|
|
this was expressly a concession in time of war, when many widows and orphans
|
|
needed to be supported (Qur'an 4.3). But it declares that monogamy is the only
|
|
equitable arrangement. I Ching 37: Cf. the Five Relations as set forth in
|
|
Doctrine of the Mean 20.8, p. 241.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
The whole future of the race depends upon its attitude toward children; and a
|
|
race which specializes in women for "menial purposes" or which believes that
|
|
the contest of the sexes in the spheres of business and politics is a worthier
|
|
endeavor than the creation of tomorrow's generation, is a race which is dying.
|
|
|
|
36. Scientology. L. Ron Hubbard, Science of Survival
|
|
|
|
Woman, before decking yourself, make yourself acceptable to your Lord, Lest He
|
|
should visit not your couch, and your make-up be gone to waste. In the woman
|
|
finding acceptance with her Lord, lies beauty of her make-up. Should her
|
|
make-up be acceptable, shall she have love of her Lord. Let her deck herself in
|
|
fear of the Lord, joy in God her perfume, Love her sustenance.
|
|
|
|
Dedicating body and mind to her Lord, let her in love to Him be united.
|
|
|
|
37. Sikhism. Adi Granth, Var-Suhi-Ki, M.3, p. 788
|
|
|
|
You wives, be submissive to your husbands, so that some, though they do not
|
|
obey the Word, may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, when
|
|
they see your reverent and chaste behavior. Let not yours be the outward
|
|
adorning with braiding of hair, decoration of gold, and wearing of fine
|
|
clothing, but let it be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable
|
|
jewel of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. So
|
|
once the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves and were
|
|
submissive to their husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And
|
|
you are now her children if you do right and let nothing terrify you.
|
|
|
|
38. Christianity. Bible, 1 Peter 3.1-6
|
|
|
|
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to
|
|
your husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as
|
|
Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. As the
|
|
church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to
|
|
their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave
|
|
himself up for her, the he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the
|
|
washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in
|
|
splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and
|
|
without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.
|
|
He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but
|
|
nourishes it and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are
|
|
members of his body. "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother
|
|
and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh." This mystery
|
|
is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church;
|
|
however, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see
|
|
that she respects her husband.
|
|
|
|
39. Christianity. Bible, Ephesians 5.21-33
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
1 Peter 3.6: The matriarch Sarah, wife of Abraham, is the model for later
|
|
generations of women; cf. Isaiah 55.1-2, p. 793; Hebrews 11.11, p. 754.
|
|
Ephesians 5.21-33: On this metaphor of the Church as the Bride of Christ, cf.
|
|
Revelation 21.1-7, pp. 1118f.; also Isaiah 62.4-5, p. 206; Exodus Rabbah, p.
|
|
286.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
The husband who wedded her with sacred texts always gives happiness to his
|
|
wife, both in season or out of season.
|
|
|
|
Though he may be destitute of virtue, or seek his pleasure elsewhere, or devoid
|
|
of good qualities, yet a husband must be constantly revered as a god by a
|
|
faithful wife.
|
|
|
|
Women need perform no sacrifice, no vow, no fast; if she obeys her husband, she
|
|
will for that reason alone be exalted in heaven.
|
|
|
|
A faithful wife, who desires to dwell after death with her husband, must never
|
|
do anything that might displease him who took her hand, whether he be alive or
|
|
dead....
|
|
|
|
She who, controlling her thoughts, words, and deeds, never slights her lord,
|
|
resides after death with her husband in heaven, and is called a virtuous wife.
|
|
|
|
40. Hinduism. Laws of Manu 5.153-65
|
|
|
|
Sujata, the young wife of an eldest son of a rich merchant, Anathapindika, was
|
|
arrogant, did not respect others and did not listen to the instruction of her
|
|
husband and his parents. Consequently, some discord arose in the family. One
|
|
day the Blessed One came to visit Anathapindika and noticed this state of
|
|
affairs. He called the young wife, Sujata, to Him and spoke to her kindly,
|
|
saying, "Sujata, there are seven types of wives:
|
|
|
|
A wife who is pitiless, corrupt in mind,
|
|
Neglecting husband and unamiable,
|
|
Inflamed by other men, a prostitute bent on murder,
|
|
Call that wife a slayer!
|
|
|
|
A wife who would rob her husband of his gains--
|
|
Though little be the profit that he makes,
|
|
Whether by craftsmanship, or from his trade, or by the plough--
|
|
Call that wife a robber!
|
|
|
|
The slothful glutton, bent on doing nothing,
|
|
A gossip and a shrew with strident voice,
|
|
Who brings to low account her husband's zeal and industry--
|
|
Call that wife a master!
|
|
|
|
Who with loving sympathy,
|
|
Just as a mother for her only son,
|
|
For husband cares, and over his stored-up wealth keeps watch and ward--
|
|
Call that wife a mother!
|
|
|
|
Who holds her husband in the same regard
|
|
As younger sister holds the elder born,
|
|
The meek in heart, who in his every wish her husband serves--
|
|
Call that wife a sister!
|
|
|
|
And she who is as glad her lord to see
|
|
As boon companions long apart to meet,
|
|
A gracious character of gentle birth, a fond helpmate--
|
|
Call that wife a friend!
|
|
|
|
If fearless of the lash and stick, unmoved,
|
|
All things enduring, calm, and pure in heart,
|
|
She bear obedience to her husband's word, from anger free--
|
|
Call that wife a handmaid!
|
|
|
|
Now she who's called: a mistress, slayer, thief,
|
|
Who's harsh, immoral, lacking in respect, when death comes--
|
|
Will wander in the miseries of hell.
|
|
|
|
But mother, sister or companion, slave,
|
|
In precept long established and restrained, when death comes--
|
|
Will wander in the happy heaven world.
|
|
|
|
These, Sujata, are the seven kinds of wives a man may have; and which of them
|
|
are you?"
|
|
|
|
"Lord," said Sujata, "let the Exalted One think of me as a handmaid from this
|
|
day forth."
|
|
|
|
41. Buddhism. Anguttara Nikaya iv.91, Sujata Sutta
|
|
|
|
She gathers the white southernwood,
|
|
By the ponds, on the islets.
|
|
She employs it,
|
|
In the business of our prince.
|
|
|
|
She gathers the white southernwood,
|
|
Along the streams in the valleys.
|
|
She employs it,
|
|
In the temple of our prince.
|
|
|
|
With headdress reverently rising aloft,
|
|
Early, while yet it is night, she is in the prince's temple.
|
|
In her headdress, slowly retiring,
|
|
She returns [to her own apartments].
|
|
|
|
42. Confucianism. Book of Songs, Ode 13
|
|
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
Book of Songs, Ode 13: This song praising the dutiful wife may be describing
|
|
how she gathers wood for nurturing silkworms. But the word 'temple,' although
|
|
it could mean any large public building, rather suggests that she is engaged in
|
|
religious duties at a royal shrine. Chinese moralists have long referred to
|
|
this piece to show how even the most trivial things are accepted in sacrifice,
|
|
when presented with reverence and sincerity.
|
|
- - - - - - - - - - - -
|
|
|
|
A good wife who can find?
|
|
She is far more precious than jewels.
|
|
The heart of her husband trusts in her,
|
|
and he will have no lack of gain.
|
|
She does him good, and not harm,
|
|
all the days of her life.
|
|
She seeks wool and flax,
|
|
and works with willing hands.
|
|
She is like the ships of the merchant,
|
|
she brings her food from afar.
|
|
She rises while it is yet night
|
|
and provides food for her household
|
|
and tasks for her maidens.
|
|
She considers a field and buys it;
|
|
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
|
|
She girds her loins with strength
|
|
and makes her arms strong.
|
|
She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
|
|
Her lamp does not go out at night.
|
|
She puts her hands to the distaff,
|
|
and her hands hold the spindle...
|
|
|
|
She opens her mouth with wisdom,
|
|
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
|
|
She looks well to the ways of her household,
|
|
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
|
|
Her children rise up and call her blessed;
|
|
her husband also, and he praises her,
|
|
"Many women have done excellently,
|
|
but you surpass them all."
|
|
Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
|
|
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
|
|
Give her of the fruit of her hands,
|
|
and let her works praise her in the gates.
|
|
|
|
43. Judaism and Christianity. Bible, Proverbs 31.10-31
|
|
|