1. If my fellow men reproach me
For my ill luck and meager livelihood

2. And grow arrogant and haughty
Thanks to their life of luxury and ease

3. With hypocrisy, false piety, and pretense
Seeking glory amidst abject humility

4. I offer my weakness as my excuse to them
And my incapacity with contentment however slight

5. I saw how harsh the demands of strangers can be
Perplexing even to one of little wisdom

6. I acquiesced to their terms out of necessity
And spoke with refined and noble diction

7. My forced acquiescence due to need
I prefer to the rough fiber of hemp

8. I gaze aimlessly at the stars without comprehension
And fiddle with talismans and charms

9. I prattle about eclipses without knowing
Where in the sky the eclipse occurs

10. I saw people's desires lead them astray
To seek wealth instead of glory's perils

11. Better to hide in disgrace and shame
Than live off unworthy means

12. Unable to put on airs in my endeavors
I inclined toward seclusion with a loaf of bread