Jump to content

All flesh is grass: Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Add text
Monkbot (talk | contribs)
Bots
3,695,952 edits
m Task 20: replace {lang-??} templates with {langx|??} ‹See Tfd› (Replaced 2);
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Multiple issues|
⚫
'''All flesh is grass''' is a much-quoted phrase from the [[Old Testament]], [[Book of Isaiah|Isaiah]] [[Isaiah 40:6|40:6]] ({{Lang-he|כָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר}} ''kol habbasar chatsir''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/40-6.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Isaiah 40:6]. Biblehub</ref>). In the [[New Testament]] the phrase reoccurs in the [[First Epistle of Peter]] (see [[1 Peter 1:24]]; {{Lang-el|πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος}}, ''pasa sarx hōs chortos''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/1_peter/1-24.htm Greek Text Analysis: 1 Peter 1:24]. Biblehub</ref>). It was a commonly used [[epitaph]], frequently found for example on old [[ledger stone]]s and monuments in churches in 17th century England. The phrase is interpreted to mean that human life is transitory ('impotent, perishing, limited').
{{Cleanup|reason=Not all the line items relate to content on Wikipedia and thus may be trivial / non-notable|date=August 2021}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2021}}
}}
'''All flesh is grass''' ({{Langx|he|כָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר}} ''kol-habbāsār ḥāṣīr'')<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/isaiah/40-6.htm Hebrew Text Analysis: Isaiah 40:6]. Biblehub</ref> is a phrase found in the [[Old Testament]] [[book of Isaiah]], [[Isaiah 40|chapter 40]], [[Isaiah 40:6|verses 6]]–[[Isaiah 40:8|8]]. The English text in [[King James Version]] is as follows:<ref>{{bibleverse|Isaiah|40:6–8|KJV}} KJV</ref>
{{blockquote
|text={{sup|6}} The voice said, Cry.
:: And he said, What shall I cry?
All flesh is grass,
:: and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
{{sup|7}} The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
:: because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
:: surely the people is grass.
{{sup|8}} The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:
:: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.}}

A more modern text, [[English Standard Version]], reads:<ref>{{bibleref2|Isaiah|40:6–8|ESV}} ESV</ref>
{{blockquote
|text={{sup|6}} A voice says, “Cry!”
:: And I said, “What shall I cry?”
All flesh is grass,
:: and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.
{{sup|7}} The grass withers, the flower fades
:: when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
:: surely the people are grass.
{{sup|8}} The grass withers, the flower fades,
:: but the word of our God will stand forever.}}

==Analysis==
⚫
In the [[New Testament]] the phrase reoccurs in the [[First Epistle of Peter]] (see [[1 Peter 1:24]]; {{Langx|el|πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος}}, ''pasa sarx hōs chortos''<ref>[https://biblehub.com/text/1_peter/1-24.htm Greek Text Analysis: 1 Peter 1:24]. Biblehub</ref>). It was a commonly used [[epitaph]], frequently found for example on old [[ledger stone]]s and monuments in churches in 17th century England. The phrase is interpreted to mean that human life is transitory ('impotent, perishing, limited').<ref>Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz. [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/kad/isaiah/40.htm ’’Commentary on the Old Testament’’ (1857-1878). Isaiah 40]. Accessed September 24, 2019.</ref>


==Uses==
==Uses==
It has been used in various works, including:
It has been used in various works, including:
{| class="wikitable sortable"

|-
⚫
* "All Flesh is Grass", a poem by English poet [[Christina Rossetti]]
! Year !! Title !! Creator !! Type !! class="unsortable" | Notes !! class="unsortable" | Ref
⚫
* "War Photographer" by the Scottish poet [[Carol Ann Duffy]], where it describes the sights seen in war photographs
|-
⚫
* "[[The Omnivore's Dilemma]]", a nonfiction book by [[Michael Pollan]]
| c. 1570 || ''[[Edward Vi#Council of Regency|King Edward VI and the Pope]]'' || Unknown || Painting || Inscribed on the pope's chest ||
⚫
* it is repeated in a line of the poem "Difficulties of a Statesman" by [[T. S. Eliot]]
|-
⚫
* [[All Flesh is Grass (novel)|All Flesh is Grass]], a novel by American [[science fiction]] writer [[Clifford D. Simak]]
| 1599 || ''[[The Shoemaker's Holiday|The Shoemakers' Holiday]]'' || [[Thomas Dekker (writer)|Thomas Dekker]] || Play || ||
* a book on [[agriculture]] by American author [[Gene Logsdon]]
|-
⚫
* an [[All Flesh Is Grass (Madder Mortem album)|album]] by Norwegian dark metal band [[Madder Mortem]]
| 1852 || ''The Old Nurses Story'' || [[Elizabeth Gaskell]] || Short story || "Flesh is grass, they do say..." || <ref>Morton and Klinger, eds. ''Weird Women: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers 1852-1923'', p.7. {{ISBN|978-1-64313-416-1}}</ref>
* it was inscribed on the pope's chest in the painting ''[[Edward Vi#Council of Regency|King Edward VI and the Pope]]''
|-
* it was inscribed on the pope's chest in the painting ''Deathbed of Henry VIII''
⚫
| 1865-1868 || "Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras" || [[Johannes Brahms]] || Choral composition || The second movement of the [[A German Requiem (Brahms)|''German Requiem'']], used as text ||
* cited by Thomas Dekker in ''The Shoemakers' Holiday'' ( 1599 )
|-
⚫
* it was used as text for "Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras", the second movement of the [[A German Requiem (Brahms)|German Requiem]] by [[Johannes Brahms]]
* it was used in the first stanza of Kipling's poem entitled "Arithmetic on the Frontier"
| 1886 || "Arithmetic on the Frontier" || [[Rudyard Kipling]] || Poem || Used in the first stanza
|-
* it was used in the third stanza of the ninth poem in "Ten Songs" by [[W. H. Auden]] to reinforce the idea of "Tempus Fugit" used earlier in the stanza.
⚫
| 1889 - || ''[[En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt]]'' || [[Carl David af Wirsén]] || Hymn || ||
* the volunteer Marek recites it to Švejk in [[Jaroslav Hašek|Jaroslav Hašek's]] [[The Good Soldier Švejk|The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War]].
|-
⚫
* in the Michael Cimino film, ''[[Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'' (1980), [[John Hurt]]'s character Billy Irvine mutters it to himself as, appalled, he drunkenly watches a battle unfold around him and is then killed.
⚫
| Mid to late 1800s || "All Flesh is Grass" || [[Christina Rossetti]] || Poem || ||
* the phrase appeared in an episode of Cracker, [[imdbtitle:0394424|The Big Crunch(1994)]]
|-
⚫
* it gives the tone to the second part of the 1889 Swedish summer hymn ''[[En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt]]'' by [[Carl David af Wirsén]]
| 1921-1923 || [[The Good Soldier Švejk|''The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War'']] || [[Jaroslav Hašek|Jaroslav Hašek's]] || Novel || The volunteer Marek recites it to Švejk ||
* it appears in [[The Handmaid's Tale (novel)]] by [[Margaret Atwood]]
|-
⚫
| 1931 || "Difficulties of a Statesman" || [[T. S. Eliot]] || Poem || ||
|-
| 1938 || ''[[The Code of the Woosters]]'' || [[P. G. Wodehouse|PG Wodehouse]] || Novel || Quoted by [[Bertie Wooster]] ||
|-
| 1939 || "Ten Songs" || [[W. H. Auden]] || Poem || Used in the third stanza of the ninth poem ||
|-
⚫
| 1965 || [[All Flesh is Grass (novel)|''All Flesh is Grass'']] || [[Clifford D. Simak]] || Novel || ||
|-
| 1972 || ''[[The Bird of Night]]'' || [[Susan Hill]] || Novel || ||
|-
⚫
| 1980 || ''[[Heaven's Gate (film)|Heaven's Gate]]'' || [[Michael Cimino]] (writer/director) || Film || [[John Hurt]]'s character Billy Irvine mutters it to himself ||
|-
⚫
| rowspan="2" | 1985 || "War Photographer" || [[Carol Ann Duffy]] || Poem || It describes the sights seen in war photographs ||
|-
| ''[[The Handmaid's Tale]]'' || [[Margaret Atwood]] || Novel || In "Waiting Room: Chapter 8," Aunt Lydia references it incorrectly as "all flesh is weak" || <ref>{{Cite book|last=Atwood|first=Margaret|title=The Handmaid's Tale|publisher=McClelland and Stewart|year=1985|location=Toronto|pages=72|language=English}}</ref>
|-
| 1994 || [[Cracker (British TV series)|''Cracker'']] || Ted Whitehead (writer) || TV show || The phrase appears in the episode "The Big Crunch" || <ref>{{Citation|last=Jarrold|first=Julian|title=The Big Crunch: Part 1|date=1994-10-31|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394424/|series=Cracker|access-date=2021-11-30}}</ref>
|-
| 1996 || "6ix" || [[The Lemonheads]] || Song || On the album ''[[Car Button Cloth]]'' ||
|-
⚫
| 2001 || [[All Flesh Is Grass (album)|''All Flesh Is Grass'']] || [[Madder Mortem]] || Album || ||
|-
| 2004 || ''All flesh is Grass: Pleasures & Promises of Pasture Farming'' || [[Gene Logsdon]] || Nonfiction book || ||
|-
⚫
| 2006 || ''[[The Omnivore's Dilemma]]'' || [[Michael Pollan]] || Nonfiction book || ||
|-
| 2020 || "All Flesh Is Grass" || [[Una McCormack]] || Novel || A ''[[Doctor Who (franchise)|Doctor Who]]'' companion ||
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


{{Death and mortality in art}}
{{Book of Isaiah}}
[[Category:Hebrew Bible words and phrases]]
[[Category:Hebrew Bible words and phrases]]
[[Category:New Testament words and phrases]]
[[Category:New Testament words and phrases]]
[[Category:First Epistle of Peter]]
[[Category:Book of Isaiah]]

Latest revision as of 15:07, 24 October 2024

All flesh is grass (Hebrew: כָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֣ר חָצִ֔יר kol-habbāsār ḥāṣīr)[1] is a phrase found in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 6–8. The English text in King James Version is as follows:[2]

6 The voice said, Cry.

And he said, What shall I cry?

All flesh is grass,

and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:

7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

because the spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it:
surely the people is grass.

8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth:

but the word of our God shall stand for ever.

A more modern text, English Standard Version, reads:[3]

6 A voice says, “Cry!”

And I said, “What shall I cry?”

All flesh is grass,

and all its beauty is like the flower of the field.

7 The grass withers, the flower fades

when the breath of the Lord blows on it;
surely the people are grass.

8 The grass withers, the flower fades,

but the word of our God will stand forever.

Analysis

[edit]

In the New Testament the phrase reoccurs in the First Epistle of Peter (see 1 Peter 1:24; Greek: πᾶσα σὰρξ ὡς χόρτος, pasa sarx hōs chortos[4]). It was a commonly used epitaph, frequently found for example on old ledger stones and monuments in churches in 17th century England. The phrase is interpreted to mean that human life is transitory ('impotent, perishing, limited').[5]

Uses

[edit]

It has been used in various works, including:

Year Title Creator Type Notes Ref
c. 1570 King Edward VI and the Pope Unknown Painting Inscribed on the pope's chest
1599 The Shoemakers' Holiday Thomas Dekker Play
1852 The Old Nurses Story Elizabeth Gaskell Short story "Flesh is grass, they do say..." [6]
1865-1868 "Denn alles Fleisch es ist wie Gras" Johannes Brahms Choral composition The second movement of the German Requiem, used as text
1886 "Arithmetic on the Frontier" Rudyard Kipling Poem Used in the first stanza
1889 - En vänlig grönskas rika dräkt Carl David af Wirsén Hymn
Mid to late 1800s "All Flesh is Grass" Christina Rossetti Poem
1921-1923 The Good Soldier Švejk and His Fortunes in the World War Jaroslav Hašek's Novel The volunteer Marek recites it to Švejk
1931 "Difficulties of a Statesman" T. S. Eliot Poem
1938 The Code of the Woosters PG Wodehouse Novel Quoted by Bertie Wooster
1939 "Ten Songs" W. H. Auden Poem Used in the third stanza of the ninth poem
1965 All Flesh is Grass Clifford D. Simak Novel
1972 The Bird of Night Susan Hill Novel
1980 Heaven's Gate Michael Cimino (writer/director) Film John Hurt's character Billy Irvine mutters it to himself
1985 "War Photographer" Carol Ann Duffy Poem It describes the sights seen in war photographs
The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood Novel In "Waiting Room: Chapter 8," Aunt Lydia references it incorrectly as "all flesh is weak" [7]
1994 Cracker Ted Whitehead (writer) TV show The phrase appears in the episode "The Big Crunch" [8]
1996 "6ix" The Lemonheads Song On the album Car Button Cloth
2001 All Flesh Is Grass Madder Mortem Album
2004 All flesh is Grass: Pleasures & Promises of Pasture Farming Gene Logsdon Nonfiction book
2006 The Omnivore's Dilemma Michael Pollan Nonfiction book
2020 "All Flesh Is Grass" Una McCormack Novel A Doctor Who companion

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hebrew Text Analysis: Isaiah 40:6. Biblehub
  2. ^ Isaiah 40:6–8 KJV
  3. ^ Isaiah 40:6–8 ESV
  4. ^ Greek Text Analysis: 1 Peter 1:24. Biblehub
  5. ^ Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz. ’’Commentary on the Old Testament’’ (1857-1878). Isaiah 40. Accessed September 24, 2019.
  6. ^ Morton and Klinger, eds. Weird Women: Classic Supernatural Fiction by Groundbreaking Female Writers 1852-1923, p.7. ISBN 978-1-64313-416-1
  7. ^ Atwood, Margaret (1985). The Handmaid's Tale. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart. p. 72.
  8. ^ Jarrold, Julian (1994-10-31), The Big Crunch: Part 1, Cracker, retrieved 2021-11-30
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=All_flesh_is_grass&oldid=1253142112"