The Damascene sword is made from molten steel, and then hammered;
Then hammered again
And hammered still more.
Heated, folded over and hammered numerous times;
Heated, folded over and hammered again, and quenched.
Born of the furnace and the hammer,
It endures and is sharp.
With each new forging and working, it is a different thing,
Until it becomes what it is meant to be.
And that is the key to a life well lived—a soul is
Heated in the forge, reconstituted, hammered again, and then quenched.
Each return to the fire, each new blow, and each new quenching,
Even if by tears,
Renders it ever stronger. That’s what makes it endure.
Until it is at is strongest and sharpest.
It does not bend, it does not break, it cannot shatter.
But there is an ingredient you cannot see
That binds the sword together, and I am not referring to atoms or valence.
The hand that forges the hammer is ultimately the source of its strength.
The love of craft flows through his hands to create what endures.
Yes, the process of hammering and quenching makes the steel strong,
But ultimately it is love that makes it endure.
Comments