What a Wise Person Does
1 Invest your money in foreign trade, and one of these days you will make a profit. 2 Put your investments in several places—many places even—because you never know what kind of bad luck you are going to have in this world.
3 No matter which direction a tree falls, it will lie where it fell. When the clouds are full, it rains. 4 If you wait until the wind and the weather are just right, you will never plant anything and never harvest anything. 5 God made everything, and you can no more understand what he does than you understand how new life begins in the womb of a pregnant woman. 6 Do your planting in the morning and in the evening, too. You never know whether it will all grow well or whether one planting will do better than the other.
7 It is good to be able to enjoy the pleasant light of day. 8 Be grateful for every year you live. No matter how long you live, remember that you will be dead much longer. There is nothing at all to look forward to.
Advice to Young People
9 Young people, enjoy your youth. Be happy while you are still young. Do what you want to do, and follow your heart's desire. But remember that God is going to judge you for whatever you do.
10 Don't let anything worry you or cause you pain. You aren't going to be young very long.
Soobeeyaa nafaa
1 I la siimaŋo fayi baajiyo kaŋ,
niŋ a meeta,
a be muru la i kaŋ ne.
2 Moolu kundi i sotofeŋo to,
hani niŋ a be ke la moo woorowula ti,
waraŋ seyi.
Kaatu i maŋ a loŋ kooroo be feenee la
ñiŋ duniyaa kono waatoo meŋ na.
3 Niŋ tawaloolu faata jiyo la,
ì ka sanjoo boŋ ne duniyaa kono.
Yiroo, fo a boyita bulubaa le la baŋ,
waraŋ maraa la,
bari a boyita daameŋ,
a ka i laa wo le to.
4 Niŋ i ka tu la foñoo le koroosi la,
i te fiiroo ke la,
aduŋ niŋ i ka tu la
i ñaa feetee la tawaloolu le kaŋ,
i te katiri ke la.
5 Ko i maŋ a loŋ ñaameŋ
baluwo niijii foñoo ka naa
deenaanoo kaŋ ñaameŋ,
baa wuluuñaŋo kono,
i maŋ Alla fanaa la keroo loŋ wo le ñaama,
ate meŋ ye feŋolu bee daa.
6 I la turoo fii soomandaa la,
wulaaroo i kana i buloo laa ñoo kaŋ.
Kaatu i maŋ a loŋ meŋ be beteyaa la,
ñiŋ kunkoo waraŋ wo doo,
waraŋ fo ì bee le be beteyaa la.
Fondinkeeyaa niŋ keebaayaa tumoo
7 Maloo diyaata le,
aduŋ seewoo le mu,
ka tiloo je i ñaa la.
8 Hani meŋ siimaayaata,
a ñanta seewoo la a baluu saŋolu bee kono le.
Bari a si ñiŋ kalamuta ko,
diboo luŋolu,
wo siyaata le.
Feŋ-wo-feŋ be naa,
a maŋ ke feŋ ne ti.
9 Ite keendiŋo, i faŋ seewondi,
i la fondinkeeyaa waatoo la.
I hakiloo kali i samba niiseewoo kuwo kaŋ,
i la fondinkeeyaa tiloolu la.
Bula i niidiyaa nooma,
aniŋ i ñaabo feŋolu.
Bari i si ñiŋ loŋ ko,
Alla be i kontibo la kuwolu bee le la,
i ye mennu ke.
10 Niikuyaa kuwolu bondi i sondomoo to,
i ye i baloo dahandi bataa la.
Kaatu dindiŋyaa waatoo,
niŋ fondinkeeyaa bee maŋ ke feŋ ti.
