When I had begun to hear your teaching,

The first year I continued a simple rustic;

The second year I became docile and intelligent;

The third year I comprehended your tenet alright;

The fourth year I was plastic as a rubber thing;

The fifth year I made advances in the field. . .

The sixth year the spirit entered and dwelt in me;

The seventh year my nature as designed by Heaven

Became clearly marked;

The eighth year I knew no difference

Between death and life;

The ninth year I attained to the great mystery

Of the transcendent;

The tenth year I merely forgot of my Self. . .