一個男人不該愛上月亮

A man should not love the moon.

一把斧頭在他手中不該失去重量

An axe should not lose weight in his hand.

他的花園應該聞得到腐爛蘋果的氣味

His garden should smell of rotting apples

以及生長一大片的蕁麻

And grow a fair amount of nettles.

一個男人談話不該用話同情他自己

A man when he talks should not use words that are dear to him,

或打破一顆種籽發現裡面有什麼

Or split open a seed to find out what is inside it.

他不該掉落一點點的麵包屑，或者吐痰在火裡

He should not drop a crumb of bread, or spit in the fire

(這些至少我在立陶宛就被教導過)

(So at least I was taught in Lithuania).

當他踏上大理石的階梯時

When he steps on marble stairs,

他可能，粗魯地，試著用鞋踏破大理石

He may, that boor, try to chip them with his boot

因為石階終究不會留下任何他的腳跡

As a reminder that the stairs will not last forever.