1    If a man understands a poem，

　　he shall have troubles.

　　2    If a man lives with a poem，

　　he shall die lonely.

　　3    If a man lives with two poems，

　　he shall be unfaithful to one.

　　4    If a man conceives of a poem，

　　he shall have one less child.

　　5    If a man conceives of two poems，

　　he shall have two children less.

　　6    If a man wears a crown on his head as he writes，

　　he shall be found out.

　　7    If a man wears no crown on his head as he writes，

　　he shall deceive no one but himself.

　　8    If a man gets angry at a poem，

　　he shall be scorned by men.

　　9    If a man continues to be angry at a poem，

　　he shall be scorned by women.

　　10   If a man publicly denounces poetry，

　　his shoes will fill with urine.

　　11   If a man gives up poetry for power，

　　he shall have lots of power.

　　12   If a man brags¹ about his poems，

　　he shall be loved by fools.

　　13   If a man brags about his poems and loves fools，

　　he shall write no more.

　　14   If a man craves² attention because of his poems，

　　he shall be like a jackass in moonlight.

　　15   If a man writes a poem and praises the poem of a fellow，

　　he shall have a beautiful mistress.

　　16   If a man writes a poem and praises the poem of a fellow overly，

　　he shall drive his mistress away.

　　17   If a man claims the poem of another，

　　his heart shall double in size.

　　18   If a man lets his poems go naked，

　　he shall fear death.

　　19   If a man fears death，

　　he shall be saved by his poems.

　　20   If a man does not fear death，

　　he may or may not be saved by his poems.

　　21   If a man finishes a poem，

　　he shall bathe in the blank wake of his passion

　　and be kissed by white paper.