and the caper berry bursts,

16. (a) What is suggested by ‘the bursting of the caper berry’? (b) What is man’s “long-lasting house,” and what signs of approaching death become evident?

¹⁶ The elderly person’s appetite is no longer keen, even if the food before him is as tasty as the caper berry. These berries have long been used to stimulate appetite. ‘The bursting of the caper berry’ suggests that when an old man’s appetite diminishes, even this fruit fails to awaken his desire for food.