1. Though I live in a foreign land, alone,
With no helper or kinsfolk near,

2. Cares besiege me, and I see no escape;
I have no place of refuge or shelter.

3. Yet I'm not one whose heart is filled with grief,
For I know how fortunes turn and shift.

4. I bear others' wrongs with patience,
Remaining calm and forgiving.

5. When misfortunes address me, I meet them
With graceful acceptance, stoic and serene.

6. I am gentle when rashness stirs my love;
Though men may lack integrity, I am dignified.

7. I befriend my foe, fearing the seeds of enmity,
Though fury rages hotly in my heart.

8. I forget my anger toward the choleric,
To uphold the virtuous traits of noble men.

9. I am patient with the barest living,
For I own nothing, and serve no master.

10. I'm content with a garment and a meal,
Better than plenty for which I'd thank none.

11. My tongue is free among my family,
Yet remains captive to coarse men's lies.

12. Sublime, when wisdom gathers me to its breast,
Wretched, when fools toss me among the rabble.

13. I'm like an unsheathed sword, its steel pure,
Dazzling despite the blows of its blunting.

14. For a man, being despised, humbled and shamed
Are enough punishment for his empty boasts.

15. I'm the son of masters who built glory
For our clan-their number was legion.

16. I'm clothed in piety and aided by consent,
Accustomed to stay my hand from harm.

17. My creed and nature are to profit, pardon and live,
As my powers allow, though the poor stay poor.

18. When perfect tolerance is absent, even a little
Suffices me-my vision is not totally blind.

19. I accept the slightest friendship from one affectionate,
Though he shun me-I find excuses for him.

20. When a man pretends love while his harm is hid,
And spares me open rebuke, I'm patient, hoping he'll change.

21. To God I leave men whose fortune is misfortune;
It's hard to get generosity from them.

22. So leave him be, and turn to the Truth everywhere.
Though the lost soul aims crookedly, still shoot straight.

23. A man hopes another will linger if he profits him;
If not, even a short time is too long.

24. We're each rich without the other. When we die,
Without ever meeting, there'll be no question or answer.

25. Since I expect no visitor in dire straits,
I'm not one to shun the outcast.

26. Why visit men who offer no good
To their guests, while claiming superior birth?

27. How many men, dignified in bearing,
Are tombs when asked to show noble traits!

28. When a stick bears no shade or fruit for me,
Little matters if it stands or is broken.

29. The chief who gifts no good, no aid,
Except to himself, is lesser than the least.

30. Leave me and my poverty; of want,
I'm the most learned scholar.

31. Men rise by modesty and kindness.
Never did rabble boast so high.

32. Gloom, zeal, confusion, coldness-
Such are the wares of the witless.

33. A cousin helped while his own brother falls-
What miserable help and defender!

34. Without my sins, God alone shows mercy,
Then, after Him, my cloak and writing reed.

35. They mock me for bearing the blows of fate
While poor, forlorn, and blind am I.

36. I said: Mock on, if you want, and don't trouble me.
My glory faded after youth passed by.

37. Fate condemned me to sorrow in earliest years,
A time I saw clearly the turn of chance.

38. So wonder not at my patience with woes,
For sighs and groans well within me.

39. I've seen how the camel, though stick-led,
Walks obediently to his death.

40. So I'll bear it too, since patience comes easier
To one whose vigor has gone.

41. Before today I feared, was pious,
Hopeful, my life still young and fine,

42. Friends sharing what I had, loving me, deceiving me never,
A brother, intimate, friend consoling my soul.

43. Now here am I, stripped of all, having met
A fate to sadden my heart and trouble its calm.