1. Thus did the foolish one shave her beard
Perhaps alchemy can make the beard grow

2. Was it the elixir, poetry, youth
And this ugly poem

3. My covenant with him was beardless
A ram whose shearing brings little reward

4. I wish I knew if water was poured on it
Before this or if there was no water

5. It didn't undergo sublimation, though
In vinegar, it cures what ails the gums

6. The hair and feeling are now gone
And he creeps about in embarrassment

7. Claiming to be afflicted with a disease
True, shaving is a disease!

8. What greater disease than this?
Madmen seem wise to him

9. He hoped vainly for the impossible
His hopes and wishes came to nothing

10. We never heard of beards by which
Stones are thrown and buttocks exposed

11. Claiming they were pointed to
And so sentence was passed on them

12. He learned from a humble, poor man
Who, and the wandering beast, are equal

13. Seeking bliss through misery
Give me ignorance to make the wretched happy

14. The mystic's beard is lost without a trace
And after loss comes total baldness