| 1 Happy the man whose mouth brings him no grief, who is not stung by remorse for sin. |
| 2 Happy the man whose conscience does not reproach him, who has not lost hope. |
| 3 Wealth ill becomes the mean man; and to the miser, of what use is gold? |
| 4 What he denies himself he collects for others, and in his possessions a stranger will revel. |
| 5 To whom will he be generous who is stingy with himself and does not enjoy what is his own? |
| 6 None is more stingy than he who is stingy with himself; he punishes his own miserliness. |
| 7 If ever he is generous, it is by mistake; and in the end he displays his greed. |
| 8 In the miser's opinion his share is too small; |
| 9 he refuses his neighbor and brings ruin on himself. |
| 10 The miser's eye is rapacious for bread, but on his own table he sets it stale. |
| 11 My son, use freely whatever you have and enjoy it as best you can; |
| 12 Remember that death does not tarry, nor have you been told the grave's appointed time. |
| 13 Before you die, be good to your friend, and give him a share in what you possess. |
| 14 Deprive not yourself of present good things, let no choice portion escape you. |
| 15 Will you not leave your riches to others, and your earnings to be divided by lot? |
| 16 Give, take, and treat yourself well, for in the nether world there are no joys to seek. |
| 17 All flesh grows old, like a garment; the age-old law is: All must die. |
| 18 As with the leaves that grow on a vigorous tree: one falls off and another sprouts-- So with the generations of flesh and blood: one dies and another is born. |
| 19 All man's works will perish in decay, and his handiwork will follow after him. |
| 20 Happy the man who meditates on wisdom, and reflects on knowledge; |
| 21 Who ponders her ways in his heart, and understands her paths; |
| 22 Who pursues her like a scout, and lies in wait at her entry way; |
| 23 Who peeps through her windows, and listens at her doors; |
| 24 Who encamps near her house, and fastens his tent pegs next to her walls; |
| 25 Who pitches his tent beside her, and lives as her welcome neighbor; |
| 26 Who builds his nest in her leafage, and lodges in her branches; |
| 27 Who takes shelter with her from the heat, and dwells in her home. |