Translation Cons. Phil. Book 2 Metrum 2
Metrum 2
1 `If Plenty with o'erflowing horn
2 scatter her wealth abroad, abundantly,
3 as in the storm-tossed sea the sand is cast around,
4 or so beyond all measure as the stars shine forth
5 upon the studded sky in cloudless nights;
6 though she never stay her hand,
7 yet will the race of men
8 still weep and wail.
9 Though God accept their prayers freely
10 and give gold with ungrudging hand,
11 and deck with honours those who deserve them,
12 yet when they are gotten, these gifts seem naught.
13 Wild greed swallows what it has sought,
14 and still gapes wide for more.
15 What bit or bridle will hold within its course
16 this headlong lust,
17 when, whetted by abundance of rich gifts,
18 the thirst for possession burns?
19 Never call we that man rich who is ever trembling in haste
20 and groaning for that he thinks he lack