Dew-kissed love fades with the morning sun; worn straw cloaks fail in heavy rain. Drinking companions vanish when the feast ends; a five-year hen lays no more eggs. These four things share one truth: they cannot be relied upon.
In life, we often mistake the temporary for the lasting. Fleeting relationships, however sweet, lack roots—they scatter at the first storm. Old cloaks once shielded us, but time rots their fibers. Boisterous friends swear loyalty over wine, yet forget their vows by dawn. The aging hen, once productive, now offers nothing.
True wisdom lies in discernment. Invest not in what vanishes like dew, but in what endures like stone. Seek friends forged in sincerity, not revelry. Cherish bonds that deepen with time, not those that wilt at the first hardship.
The heart’s compass should point toward substance, not shadow. Choose well, and your path will hold steady through any weather.