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The Four Ages


There had been four ages since the human world first cameinto  being . They are the Golden Age, the Silver Age, the Age of Bronze and the Age of Iron. The Golden Agewas the best of all. It was an age when Kronus sat on thethrone. Generous nature met all the needs of  men . There wereno extremes of cold and heat. And the evils of the human worldwere still kept in the cask. Epimetheus guarded the cask and Pandora was not yet made to open. Men lived a happy life. They were forever young. They were always eating richly and knew neither hard labour nor sorrow. When death came it came like apeaceful sleep. And they became good spirits in  heaven .

rén
lèi
chǎn
shēng

lái
jīng

le

gè
shí
dài

huáng
jīn
shí
dài

bái
yín
shí
dài

qīng
tóng
shí
dài

tiě

shí
dài
.
.
huáng
jīn
shí
dài
zuì
wèi
měi
hǎo
.
.
kè
lǔ
nà

zuò
zài
yù
zuò
shàng
.
.
kāng
kǎi
de
dà

rán
mǎn
zú
le
rén
lèi
de

qiē
yào
qíu
.
.
méi
yǒu
yán
hán
kù
shǔ
.
.
rén
jiān
de
bù
xìng
bèi
jū
jīn
zài
tǒng
zhōng
.
.
zhè
zhī
tǒng
yóu


mò
tòu

bǎo
guǎn
,
,
ér
pān
duō
lā
hái
méi
yǒu
chū
shì
lái
dǎ
kāi
tǒng
gài
.
.
rén
men
shēng
huó
měi
mǎn
,
,
qīng
chūn
yǒng
cún
.
.
tā
men
cháng
cháng
jǔ
xíng
shèng
yàn
,
,
dà
chī
dà
hē
,
,
ér
duì
jiān
xīn
yǔ
bēi
āi

gài
bù
zhī
.
.

wáng
de
lái
lín
yóu
rú
hān
shuì
,
,

hòu
tā
men
biàn
chéng
jīng
líng
shēng
rù
tiān
táng
.
.

The Silver Age was one in which the human race was somewhat less valuable in body and mind. The period was of helpless be ginning. It lasted a hundred years. And it was the time of manhood, short and troubled. Men spent in ignorance and evil. They no longer admired the gods and offered no sacrifices. However, as the race of the Silver Age was not entirely lack of goodness, they had some honour and lived on as spirits under the earth.

zài
bái
yín
shí
dài
,
,
rén
lèi
zài


yǔ
zhì

fāng
miàn
gǎn
jué
qiàn
jiā
.
.
zhè
zhǒng
gū
ruò
de
kāi
duān
yán
xù
bǎi
nián
.
.
rén
lèi
zài
yú
mèi
yǔ
bù
xìng
zhōng
dù
guò
le
zhè

duǎn
zàn
ér
jiāo

de
chéng
nián

.
.
tā
men
bù
zài
chóng
bài
tiān
shén
,
,
yě
bù
zài
xiàn

.
.
hǎo
zài
bái
yín
shí
dài
de
rén
lèi
bìng
fēi

diǎn
měi
dé
yě
bù
jù
bèi
.
.
tā
men
yǒu
lián
chǐ
zhī
xīn
,
,
tā
men

hòu
zuò
wèi
shén
líng

xù
zài
yīn
jiān
shēng
huó
.
.

During the age of Bronze men became further  degenerated . Dressed in bronze and armed with weapons of bronze, they live din the houses of bronze. Cruel and heartless, they delighted inwar and died in endless struggle. When they passed away, they came into the darkness of the lower world.

zài
qīng
tóng
shí
dài
,
,
rén
lèi
gèng
jiā
duò
luò
.
.
shēn
zhāo
qīng
tóng
kuī
jiǎ
,
,
shǒu
wò
qīng
tóng
bīng

,
,
zhù
zài
qīng
tóng
zhù
zào
de
fáng
zhōng
.
.
tā
men
cán
rěn
wú
qíng
,
,
shàng
wǔ
hǎo
zhàn
,
,
zuì
zhōng
zài
wú
zhǐ
jìn
de
zhàn
zhēng
zhōng
xiāo
wáng
.
.

shí
,
,
tā
men
jiàng
lín
yīn
jiān
.
.

The last age, that of Iron, was one of continual care and grief. There was no family love, no sense of respectful duty, no friend ship and hospitality. Nor was there any faith, truth and justice. Evil was widespread, might was right, and the flames of war burnt the surface of the earth. It was a race of men given up by gods .

zuì
hòu

gè
shí
dài
tiě

shí
dài
,
,
zhè
shì

gè
chí
xù
fán
nǎo
yǔ
bēi
shāng
de
shí
dài
.
.
méi
yǒu
qīn
rén
de
ài
,
,
méi
yǒu
xiào
shùn
cháng
bèi
de
zé
rèn
gǎn
,
,
méi
yǒu
yǒu

,
,
méi
yǒu


,
,
gèng
méi
yǒu
xìn
yǎng

zhēn

yǔ
zhèng

.
.
zuì


chǔ
mán
yán
,
,
qiáng
quán

gōng

.
.
zhàn
huǒ
shāo
jiāo
le
dè
qíu
de
biǎo
miàn
.
.
tiān
shén
bìng

le
rén
lèi
.
.


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