1. Oh, how wretched is merit, if it does not come with what detracts it,
He spews his poison from the mouth of an asp, its fangs bare.

2. Ever finding fault though the fault remains his,
Ignorant of the noble's dignity, a slanderer at his heels.

3. If he finds me blameworthy, he blames only his own instructor,
And blames himself for blaming his own teacher.

4. He is like a dog who bites what provokes him,
Then attacks his prey and seizes only its specter.

5. If he betrays me, betrayal clothes him,
With lineage and ancestry as his cloak.

6. When efforts fail a man,
He loves finding fault in people, as he has found fault.

7. So it is with one whose habit is destroying glory,
For he slanders the architects of glory.