# Remember explained — The Book of Jade

> Chapter companion for The Book of Jade by David Park Barnitz.

## What happens

A somber admonition to those who revel in the joy and light of the skies, reminding them that night and sorrow inevitably follow delight, and that there exists a hidden, joyless place beyond the sun's reach.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Decay

The poem emphasizes the inevitable arrival of night and sorrow after delight, suggesting mortality and the decay of joy.

### Vanity of Human Endeavor

The fleeting nature of delight and the reference to days 'as sands that run' underscore the futility of earthly pleasures.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown

The speaker delivers a warning to those who delight in the skies, urging them to remember the coming night and sorrow.

## Key lines

> Remember, ye whom the skies delight, Whose faces flame with the falling sun, That after sunset cometh the night, That sorrow followeth all delight, When love, and lover, and lov’d are one.

Recall, you who take joy in the heavens, whose faces glow in the sunset, that night comes after the sun sets, and sorrow follows every pleasure, even when love unites all.

_The speaker warns that joy is transient and inevitably followed by sorrow and darkness._

> One house there is unknown of delight, One garden is there belov’d of none, One place there is unseen of the sun, Remember, ye whom the skies delight.

There exists a house devoid of joy, a garden unloved by anyone, a place the sun never sees—remember this, you who delight in the skies.

_The poem concludes with a stark image of a hidden, desolate place, reinforcing the theme of inevitable decay._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters/part-i-remember
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_book_of_jade_se/chapters