I die of thirst right at the fountain's edge,
As warm as fire, and tooth to tooth I shake,
While close to home I'm in a distant land,
Near glowing coals I shiver, burning hot,
Bare as a worm, all vested like a judge,
I laugh in tears and expect without hope;
Comfort I take again in sad despair,
Rejoice, and yet of pleasure I have none,
Powerful I am, lacking in force and strength,
Made welcome, and repulsed by everyone.
For me there's nothing sure but what's in doubt,
Nothing obscure but what is evident;
I have no doubts, except of certainties,
Knowledge I hold to come from sudden chance,
Though winning all, I am a loser still;
At break of day, 'Good night to you!' I say;
Flat on my back, I greatly fear to fall.
I am well off, yet haven't got a cent,
Expect bequests and I am no man's heir,
Made welcome, and repulsed by everyone.
I care for naught, yet all my effort goes
To heap up goods on which I've got no claim;
The fairest-spoken man offends me most
And the most truthful one's the biggest liar;
That one's my friend who gives me to believe
Of a white swan that it's black, and a crow;
And he who harms me, I think helps me much;
Lies or the truth, to me it's now all one;
Remembering all, no concept can I form,
Made welcome, and repulsed by everyone.
Envoy
O clement prince, may it please you to know
I grasp a lot, and have not sense or learning;
Unique I am, like everybody else.
What do I know best? Retrieving what I've gaged,
Made welcome, and repulsed by everyone.
(this version from: "Complete Poems" - Edited with English translation and commentary by Barbara N. Sargent-Baur, University of Toronto Press, 1994)
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