Nowadays such is the state of things

That we shall see the people stretching out

Their necks and standing on tiptoe

While they say, "In such and such a place

There is a wise and capable man to follow. . ."

Then they carry with them whatever they may

Have left and hurry towards it, abandoning

Their parents in their hometown and neglecting

The service of their native community abroad.

Their footsteps may be traced in lines

From one country to another for more

Than thousands and thousands of miles.

This is owing to the error of their superiors

In their inordinate fondness for knowledge.

When those superiors do really love knowledge,

But do not follow the proper course of life,

The whole world is thrown into great confusion.

The knowledge shown in the making

Of the modern tools and devices is great,

But the environment is troubled by them,

From above and below, and in all respects.

The knowledge shown in their inventions is great,

But resources are mercilessly exploited by them;

The knowledge shown in the arrangements

For the new methods of management is great,

But men in the lower regions are disturbed by them.

So, the versatility shown in the artful deceptions,

Becoming more and more pernicious

In ingenious discussions as to what is global

And therefore capital-intensive warming

And political cooling, and what is easy to lose

And hard to prevent, and what is black and white

In useless argument, and in attempt to disperse the dust

And reconcile different views are great indeed,

But people are perplexed by all the sophistry. Truly,

As is said, "The greatest art of politics sounds reliable."