1. In what tongue shall I address you today?
Had you been at a festival, I would have sung to you,

2. Had you been mourning, I would have wept with you,
weeping for a band that has passed.

3. But your whims have divided you,
No home remains free of discord and strife.

4. You have contested the world to no avail,
No water remains in the jug, no oil.

5. What decree will you accept
When I have given you clear proofs?

6. If I do not have a living being to hear me
To me the living and the dead are the same.

7. The nights will reveal what you did not know
And bring what I feared and concealed.

8. The appointed time is near for you and yours
To avert what I dread and guard against.

9. Glory lies only in the deed I perfect
For my people, as I hoped and wished.

10. Had I nothing but my talents,
I would fulfill the right of my country and be faithful.