Translation
The sight of the eyes is better than the wandering of desire.
Go to footnote numberThis also is vapor-like,
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
The opportunities we see coming to fruition right now are better than the opportunities we daydream about and hope will happen. Such hoping is like a vapor, it is like trying to catch the wind.
Footnotes
1: “wandering of desire”
This is a perfect summary of one of the main points of the entire book, namely, to be content with what you have; live for the present moment, not some idealized future. This does not mean that Solomon denied the teachings about heaven and life after death, rather it means he was focusing on the practical side of living in the here and now.
2
This use of “vapor-like” is referring to the following qualities from my acronym PASSES: P: not Predictable, thus it cannot be counted on; A: it Accomplished nothing and does no work; E: Endlessly frustrating, and S: it is not Solid, not firm, rather it is transitory and shifty.