1. When people turn against me after friendship
I don my shoes the wrong way round in defiance

2. And I envy the camel carrying worries on its determined back
About to charge with pride and vigor

3. Never did I, if estranged from a dear friend, yearn for him
Due to prolonged conflict or longing for beauty

4. When they know my strong tie is severed
They will never feel safe from my attacking sword

5. Shall I leave a noble, dear people
For the company of incapable, inferior men?

6. Like one who swaps a speck in the eye for a cinder
And is afflicted with a malady that has no cure

7. The weak-bodied rival challenges me
What logic steers his quest for glory?

8. When a pauper defiantly protects his honor
I defended mine with my money

9. He extends a feeble hand to grasp me
Though my hands have frustrated even the mighty

10. I confronted the pompous one until I pinned him
With the claws of a strong-beaked eagle

11. He who does not stop kindling a dormant fire
Will one day face the flames

12. And though I stand back from my enemy
My arrows will outdo his in wounding

13. The onlookers doubt, did my words fail
Or the failure lies in my arrows?

14. If my patience emboldens people
Perhaps later my spear will frighten them

15. The coat of mail cannot stop the leap
Of a fierce assailant intent on his goal