1. The critic has left me alone and looked away,
And forbidden me from youthful frivolity.

2. He has shown me the path of moderation in my sixties,
Now gentle, though once impetuous and wild.

3. My wicked ways are done, and longing binds me
With a love no suspicion can undo.

4. I've learned from time until people say
“This is the wise, experienced man.”

5. I regret that though I've lived so long
Experience has not guided me.

6. When fate decides, one errs in judgment
No matter how right one tries to be.