1. I leaned on my staff as though it struck
The ground with the voice of the warner.

2. And when I walked with faltering steps
Like a blind man, I feared each step,

3. So I may rest my body in my bed,
Be it a mattress or a rug.

4. I read a page and skip another,
As if my companion speaks to me.

5. I feel no gloating from my foe,
Nor pity from a loyal friend,

6. Nor children shunning my path
And wondering at my walk.

7. For the great nothing so humiliates
As a child's pity for the aged.