1. They say the employee is so generous
And that the merchant is so stingy

2. They have wronged them both, for when we see
The employee in patched-up clothes in public

3. It's a facade he's compelled to keep up
While poverty gnaws at him inside

4. And that's because if he acts rich, we see
His fantasies have obscured the squalor

5. The employee knows the wage of a month
Doesn't increase, not even by a toenail

6. And he has savored education and civilization
His soul refined, eloquent his speech

7. So if he gives, it's from his basic needs
While the other holds back, fearing loss