1. My soul demands of me what others find contentment,
Yet what man's soul does not make demands of him?

2. Still I am conquered by passion and foolishness,
As passion conquers the wise man against his will.

3. My desires were only for the beautiful,
Yet who is there whose desires do not lead him astray?

4. I know man is shrouded in his own grave,
With his faults and transgressions exposed.

5. He who has passed is not dead,
While his traces and virtues live on.

6. He whom the trials of fate did not refine,
Was not harmed that he had no trials.

7. I am content with my friend's outward affection,
Though what he hides cannot be called sincere.

8. No good comes from a master who gives you only his dregs,
While in his heart bitterness creeps.

9. I have no friend if I uncover his soul,
And find I wish no friendship with him.

10. A man’s merit lies in what comes from him,
Not in his fathers or pedigree.

11. I am purified, cleansed of dross though weak,
While impurities and dregs have fallen away.

12. For me are the towering, lofty heights,
As I climb their summits and mountains.

13. How many who sought me I surpassed,
No fugitive escapes me when I give chase!

14. All men watch me with awe,
Never have I sought one that I watch in turn.

15. When fate stripped men bare,
They knew of calamities from which claws do not retreat.

16. Perplexed, their minds could not see the path ahead,
Nor guide them despite their rage.

17. I am the spear, nay the spearhead itself!
My blows land with no shield to stop them.

18. How many battlefields I stood amidst,
With no route of escape shut off from me.

19. From lethal, raging seas I protected them,
Turning aside the waves crashing upon them.