Boethius’s Consolation of Philosophy and the Old English poem “The Wanderer” both testify to the enduring quality of literature. Writing in the 6th century AD, Boethius discusses topics as varied as happiness, the existence of evil, and the path to God while locked in a cell with the goddess Philosophy. In contrast, “The Wanderer,” an elegy originally written in Old English, is a poem told from the point of view of an exile mourning his dispirited existence far from the community. Although it was written almost five centuries later, it reflects many of the philosophical principles outlined in Boethius' account. It expresses life as a merely fleeting existence, asserting that happiness can only be found in God and that destiny is an integral part of the human experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essayBoth texts agree on the ephemeral nature of human existence. For example, for the narrator of “The Wanderer,” wealth is only a temporary means of happiness that is ultimately fleeting and will eventually be destroyed along with the rest of the world. This feeling is evoked when he writes that "wealth is fleeting" (108) and predicts in another line that "all the wealth of this world remains wasted" (74) until the universe " remains empty” (109). This belief reflects the teachings of Boethius's Consolation in many ways. First, both works argue that one should not get attached to wealth because it ultimately serves no purpose. Boethius's Fortune explains that she holds the power to "withdraw [her] gifts" (21) whenever she wishes and condemns humans for their desire to be "enhanced by external ornaments" (29). Although the narrator of “The Wanderer” does not explicitly say that God ultimately strips us of our material possessions, his belief in our ultimate destruction compares his “Heavenly Father” (117) to the role of Fortune in the sense that what is provided to us can just as easily be taken away. Second, both suggest that the only remedy for this desire is a spiritual relationship with God, a relationship that will survive the material world. The search for happiness also assumes an ephemeral presence in “The Wanderer” and Consolation. Both narrators find themselves in exile, only able to seek consolation through poetic expression that finds their surroundings meaningless and temporary. The philosophy describes three pursuits that ultimately lead nowhere: wealth, respect, and fame. But all these companies only cause harm. Wealth brings worry (46), power brings contempt (48), and fame is nothing more than a false celebration (49). These vain endeavors transform men into animals who fail to establish a spiritual connection in this fleeting life. Although the narrator of “The Wanderer” does not seem to deplore a moral renunciation like philosophy, his discontent arises simply from the fact that these things are not eternal. Those “hungry for glory often attach themselves… to an afflicted soul” (17). His "memory of parents" (51) brings temporary comfort, but "they always swim away" (53), and in the end, "the rulers remain deprived of all joy" (99) "as if that had never existed” (96). ). The world of “The Wanderer” is only temporary and depicts aspects of civilization as a whole “destroyed” (85) by “The Creator” (84). In the final lines, the only hope of redemption lies in those who “seek mercy” (116) in God. Since the world is empty, the only path to true happiness is through virtue. There :.