“Those whose birth
I delighted in
—whose growth I desired—
at their wives instigation
have chased me away,
as dogs would swine.
Wicked & vile,
though they call me ‘Dad’:
demons in the disguise of sons
who abandon me in old age.
As an old horse
of no more use
is deprived of fodder,
so the elderly father
of those foolish boys
begs at other people’s homes.
My staff serves me better
than those disobedient sons.
It fends off
ferocious bulls
& ferocious curs.
In the dark it goes before me;
down steep slopes, it gives support.
Through the power of my staff,
when I stumble
I still stand firm.”
“Those whose birth
I delighted in
—whose growth I desired—
at their wives instigation
have chased me away,
as dogs would swine.
Wicked & vile,
though they call me ‘Dad’:
demons in the disguise of sons
who abandon me in old age.
As an old horse
of no more use
is deprived of fodder,
so the elderly father
of those foolish boys
begs at other people’s homes.
My staff serves me better
than those disobedient sons.
It fends off
ferocious bulls
& ferocious curs.
In the dark it goes before me;
down steep slopes, it gives support.
Through the power of my staff,
when I stumble
I still stand firm.”
Origin URL: https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/SN/SN7_14.html