Since you have made me enter

This theme, my dear opponent,

I'll try to explain you the state of things

In a quite rough way.

Do you in the same way listen to me?

If you have got the better of me

And not I of you, are you right

And I am wrong to be?

If I have got the better of you

And not you of me, am I right

And you are wrong to be?

Is the one of us completely right

And the other is wrong? Are we both

Right or we both are wrong?

Since we cannot come to a mutual

And common understanding,

We will certainly continue in the dark

On this quite a simple question.

Whom shall I employ to judge

In this quite a primitive case?

If I employ one who agrees with

Your esteemed side, how can he

Or she, agreeing with you,

Do so correctly for both of us?

If I employ one who agrees with

My humble side, how can he or she,

Agreeing only with me, do so

In a pretty objective manner for us both?

If I employ one who disagrees

With you and me, how can he or she,

Disagreeing with both of us, do so

In a correct way for both sides?

If I employ one who agrees with you

And me, how can he or she, agreeing

With us both, do so correctly, you see?

This way, you and me and all those others

Would not be able to come to a mutual

And common understanding; and shall we

Then wait for such a wise judge? I think

We need not do so. Don't you agree with me?

So, to wait on others means to learn

How the conflicting opinions are changed

Without further notice; it is like not so

Waiting at all. A daunting task of poise

Of the conflicting opinions is to be found

In the invisible operation of Heaven,

Following on the spiral into the abyss

Of the past precedents in many.

It is by this method of following

Downstream along the river of time

That we can complete our days

Without any great disturbances

Of our pacified at last minds.