1. The scorching summer came before the grass withered,
Scorching, while the cool breeze rushed behind it.

2. The shepherd began heating milk for his guests,
His hands burning from the fire without being harmed.

3. The thorn trees lit their fires in the night,
Their bark curling and crisping.

4. In the morning the frost covered the ground
Like cotton on the pine trees, clumped and tufted.

5. The watchdog fought for its family against the fire
To bask in its warmth while the milk boiled.

6. You will find soil in us when the soil is dry,
And who hopes for the hospitality of the host?

7. You see our neighbor grants asylum though he sins,
Neither sheltering the neighbor nor being sheltered.

8. And our lord protects us, even when far off,
From what makes his neighbor anxious and reluctant.

9. The neighbors know our cauldrons
Are safeguards for sustenance though the winds gust.

10. We hurry to ready cauldrons in our guest houses,
Replenished stew pots, passed around and ladled.

11. Poured into bowls as though their rims
Were meadow springs, brimming over and flooding.

12. You see them bowing over them as if
Crouched before an idol from the days of ignorance.

13. Sitting, and behind the sitters, their spines,
Bent wicks, their hands clasped and tucked.

14. No ignorance has addled our wise men’s wits,
Nor will the well-mannered among us be upbraided.

15. None of our orators stands to speak our virtues
Unless he tells what is most virtuous.

16. I am one of a people who make even foes feel safe,
Mending rifts, appeasing fearful sides.