¹Militia est vita hominis super terram,The life of a man on the earth is a battle,et sicut dies mercenarii dies ejus.and his days are like the days of a hired hand.

¹Militia est vita hominis super terram,The life of a man on the earth is a battle,et sicut dies mercenarii dies ejus.and his days are like the days of a hired hand.

²Sicut servus desiderat umbram,Just as a servant desires the shade,et sicut mercenarius præstolatur finem operis sui,and just as the hired hand looks forward to the end of his work,

²Sicut servus desiderat umbram,Just as a servant desires the shade,et sicut mercenarius præstolatur finem operis sui,and just as the hired hand looks forward to the end of his work,

³sic et ego habui menses vacuos,so also have I had empty monthset noctes laboriosas enumeravi mihi.and have counted my burdensome nights.

³sic et ego habui menses vacuos,so also have I had empty monthset noctes laboriosas enumeravi mihi.and have counted my burdensome nights.

⁴Si dormiero,If I lie down to sleep,dicam:I will say,Quando consurgam?“When will I rise?”et rursum expectabo vesperam,And next I will hope for the eveninget replebor doloribus usque ad tenebras.and will be filled with sorrows even until darkness.

⁴Si dormiero,If I lie down to sleep,dicam:I will say,Quando consurgam?“When will I rise?”et rursum expectabo vesperam,And next I will hope for the eveninget replebor doloribus usque ad tenebras.and will be filled with sorrows even until darkness.

⁵Induta est caro mea putredine,My flesh is clothed with particles of rottenness and filth;et sordibus pulveris cutis mea aruit et contracta est.my skin is dried up and tightened.

⁵Induta est caro mea putredine,My flesh is clothed with particles of rottenness and filth;et sordibus pulveris cutis mea aruit et contracta est.my skin is dried up and tightened.

⁶Dies mei velocius transierunt quam a texente tela succiditur,My days have passed by more quickly than threads are cut by a weaver,et consumpti sunt absque ulla spe.and they have been consumed without any hope.

⁶Dies mei velocius transierunt quam a texente tela succiditur,My days have passed by more quickly than threads are cut by a weaver,et consumpti sunt absque ulla spe.and they have been consumed without any hope.

⁷Memento quia ventus est vita mea,Remember that my life is wind,et non revertetur oculus meus ut videat bona.and my eye will not return to see good things.

⁷Memento quia ventus est vita mea,Remember that my life is wind,et non revertetur oculus meus ut videat bona.and my eye will not return to see good things.

⁸Nec aspiciet me visus hominis;Neither will the sight of man gaze upon me;oculi tui in me,your eyes are upon me,et non subsistam.and I will not endure.

⁸Nec aspiciet me visus hominis;Neither will the sight of man gaze upon me;oculi tui in me,your eyes are upon me,et non subsistam.and I will not endure.

⁹Sicut consumitur nubes, et pertransit,Just as a cloud is consumed and passes away,sic qui descenderit ad inferos, non ascendet.so he who descends to hell will not ascend.

⁹Sicut consumitur nubes, et pertransit,Just as a cloud is consumed and passes away,sic qui descenderit ad inferos, non ascendet.so he who descends to hell will not ascend.

¹⁰Nec revertetur ultra in domum suam,He will not return again to his house,neque cognoscet eum amplius locus ejus.nor will his own place know him any longer.

¹⁰Nec revertetur ultra in domum suam,He will not return again to his house,neque cognoscet eum amplius locus ejus.nor will his own place know him any longer.

¹¹QuapropterAnd because of this,et ego non parcam ori meo:I will not restrain my mouth.loquar in tribulatione spiritus mei;I will speak in the affliction of my spirit.confabulabor cum amaritudine animæ meæ.I will converse from the bitterness of my soul.

¹¹QuapropterAnd because of this,et ego non parcam ori meo:I will not restrain my mouth.loquar in tribulatione spiritus mei;I will speak in the affliction of my spirit.confabulabor cum amaritudine animæ meæ.I will converse from the bitterness of my soul.

¹²Numquid mare ego sum,Am I an oceanaut cetus,or a whale,quia circumdedisti me carcere?that you have encircled me in a prison?

¹²Numquid mare ego sum,Am I an oceanaut cetus,or a whale,quia circumdedisti me carcere?that you have encircled me in a prison?

¹³Si dixero:If I say,Consolabitur me lectulus meus,“My bed will comfort me, and I will find rest,et relevabor loquens mecum in strato meo:speaking with myself on my blanket,”

¹³Si dixero:If I say,Consolabitur me lectulus meus,“My bed will comfort me, and I will find rest,et relevabor loquens mecum in strato meo:speaking with myself on my blanket,”

¹⁴terrebis me per somnia,then you will frighten me with dreams,et per visiones horrore concuties.and strike dread through visions,

¹⁴terrebis me per somnia,then you will frighten me with dreams,et per visiones horrore concuties.and strike dread through visions,

¹⁵Quam ob rem elegit suspendium anima mea,so that, because of these things, my soul would choose hanging,et mortem ossa mea.and my bones, death.

¹⁵Quam ob rem elegit suspendium anima mea,so that, because of these things, my soul would choose hanging,et mortem ossa mea.and my bones, death.

¹⁶Desperavi:I despair;nequaquam ultra jam vivam:by no means will I live any longer.parce mihi,Spare me,nihil enim sunt dies mei.for my days are nothing.

¹⁶Desperavi:I despair;nequaquam ultra jam vivam:by no means will I live any longer.parce mihi,Spare me,nihil enim sunt dies mei.for my days are nothing.

¹⁷Quid est homo,What is man,quia magnificas eum?that you should praise him?aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum?Or why do you place your heart near him?

¹⁷Quid est homo,What is man,quia magnificas eum?that you should praise him?aut quid apponis erga eum cor tuum?Or why do you place your heart near him?

¹⁸Visitas eum diluculo,You visit him at dawn,et subito probas illum.and you test him unexpectedly.

¹⁸Visitas eum diluculo,You visit him at dawn,et subito probas illum.and you test him unexpectedly.

¹⁹Usquequo non parcis mihi,How long will you not spare me,nec dimittis me ut glutiam salivam meam?nor release me to ingest my saliva?

¹⁹Usquequo non parcis mihi,How long will you not spare me,nec dimittis me ut glutiam salivam meam?nor release me to ingest my saliva?

²⁰Peccavi;I have sinned;quid faciam tibi,what should I do for you,o custos hominum?O keeper of men?quare posuisti me contrarium tibi,Why have you set me against you,et factus sum mihimetipsi gravis?so that I have become burdensome even to myself?

²⁰Peccavi;I have sinned;quid faciam tibi,what should I do for you,o custos hominum?O keeper of men?quare posuisti me contrarium tibi,Why have you set me against you,et factus sum mihimetipsi gravis?so that I have become burdensome even to myself?

²¹Cur non tollis peccatum meum,Why do you not steal away my sin,et quare non aufers iniquitatem meam?and why do you not sweep away my iniquity?ecce nunc in pulvere dormiam,Behold, now I will sleep in the dust,et si mane me quæsieris,and if you seek me in the morning,non subsistam.I will not remain.

²¹Cur non tollis peccatum meum,Why do you not steal away my sin,et quare non aufers iniquitatem meam?and why do you not sweep away my iniquity?ecce nunc in pulvere dormiam,Behold, now I will sleep in the dust,et si mane me quæsieris,and if you seek me in the morning,non subsistam.I will not remain.