Part 9

Now I speak for every one. He who is helping, let him help in equal portions. He who is helped, let him not manœuvre For the best, but take the less good.

They must not be pressed; For this is their own affair, and choice is free, And one forces the preference Of him who was abstaining, perhaps purposely.

He makes a fool of himself who prematurely lays aside His plate, while the others are still eating; And he who untidily Turns the table into a receptacle for scraps;

And he who sneers At what he does not like; and he who hurries; And he who picks and chooses Out of the viands which are in common;

And those who seem more hungry At the end than at the beginning; And also he who sets to At fortifying himself, or exploring the bottom of the platter.

Nor do I think it looks quite well To gnaw the bone with the teeth, and still worse To drop it into the saucepan; Nor is salt well deposited on the dish.

And I think that he does amiss Who carves, being at the table of his superior; For none can perform service If he does not first ask leave.

With thine equal, begin, If the knife lies at thy right hand: If not, leave it to him. With fruit, thou canst not fitly help thy companion.

With women, I need not tell thee: But thou must help them to everything, If there is not some one who undertakes Both the carving and other details.

But always look to it That thou approach not too close to any of them. And, if one of them is a relative of thine, Thou wilt give more room to the other.

And, in short, thou wilt then Do and render honour to thine utmost: And here always mind That thou soil not their dress.

Look them in the face but little, Still less at their hands while eating, For they are apt to be bashful: And with respect to them, thou mayst well say “Do eat.”

When sometimes there come Dishes or fruits, I praise him who thinks of avoiding To take of those Which cannot with cleanliness be handled.

Ill does the hand which hurries To take a larger help out of a dish in common; And worse he who does not well avoid To loll, or set leg upon leg.

And be it observed That here thou shouldst speak little and briefly: Nor here must there be speech Of aught save elegant and cheerful pleasantness.

I have shown thee above Concerning the respect due to [thy lord], and saluting him. I will now tell thee More than I before said concerning service.

Take care that, in every operation Or service that thou dost before him, Thou must think steadily Of what thou art about, for it goes ill if thou art absent-minded.

Thou shouldst keep thine eye, When thou servest him, on that which he likes. The silent tongue is aright, Always without questioning, during service;

Also that thou keep thyself, Thou who hast to serve, clean in dress and hands. And I would have thee also serve strangers, If they are at the meal with him.

Likewise have an eye to it That thou keep things clean before him thou servest. And thou dost well if thou keepest The slice entire, if thou canst, in carving;

And amiss if neglectfully Thou makest too great a lump of the carved viands; And worse if thou art so long about it That they have nothing to eat.

And, when there may be Viands which make the hands uncleanly, In some unobtrusive way Get them washed by the time the next come on.

Thou shalt always be observant of the same In bringing forward the fruits: For to offer these about, As I said before, befits not the guests.

Also I much complain Of thee who wouldst then be correcting others: For the present it must suffice thee, In this case, to do right for thyself only.

He puts me out who has So awkward a manner in cutting That, in peeling a pear, He takes up from three to nine o’clock;

And also he who keeps not good guard Over his hand, and slips in cutting; For he is prevented from serving, And his lord sometimes has no one to serve him.

I dislike that he who serves Should, in serving, speak of the doctor; Unless maybe by way of obeying, When he has it in command from him.

In giving water thou shalt be careful, Considering the time and place: Where there is little, little; In the cold time, less cold—and, if very cold, warm.