Patukkung 6
1 Kaminawk khaeah hmuenzit ah kaom sethaih, ni tlim ah ka hnuk let bae vop:
There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is hard on men;
2 koehhaih akoep hanah, Sithaw mah kami khaeah angraenghaih, hmuenmae tawnhhaih hoi pakoehhaih to paek; toe hmuenmae nuiah kanawm acaeng hanah paek ai pongah, minawk kalah mah kanawm acaeng haih lat; hae doeh azom pui ni, nathaih kasae ah ni oh.
A man to whom God gives money, wealth, and honour so that he has all his desires but God does not give him the power to have joy of it, and a strange man takes it. This is to no purpose and an evil disease.
3 Kami maet loe caa cumvaito tawnh moe, saning sawk parai ah hing cadoeh, hing thung koehhaih akoep ai, duek naah doeh kahoih ah aphum ai nahaeloe, anih pongah loe zok thungah kamro nawkta to hoih kue.
If a man has a hundred children, and his life is long so that the days of his years are great in number, but his soul takes no pleasure in good, and he is not honoured at his death; I say that a birth before its time is better than he.
4 Zok thungah kamro nawkta loe azom pui ah tacawt moe, vinghaih thungah caeh, anih ih ahmin loe vinghaih mah ayaw khoep tih boeh.
In wind it came and to the dark it will go, and with the dark will its name be covered.
5 Anih loe ni to hnu vai ai, tidoeh panoek ai; toe anih loe minawk kalah pongah pop kue anghakhaih to hnuk.
Yes, it saw not the sun, and it had no knowledge; it is better with this than with the other.
6 Ue, anih loe saning sang hnetto hing langlacadoeh, a tawnh ih hmuen nuiah nawmhaih tawn ai; kaminawk loe ahmuen maeto ah na ai maw caeh o boih?
And though he goes on living a thousand years twice over and does not see good, are not the two going to the same place?
7 Kami mah tha pathok moe, sak ih tok boih loe pakha han ih ni sak, toe caak koehhaih loe boeng thai ai.
All the work of man is for his mouth, and still he has a desire for food.
8 Palungha mah kamthu pong kamtlai ah amekhaih timaw tawnh? Kahing kaminawk hmaa ah kawbangmaw khosak nahaeloe hoi tih, tiah panoek kamtang loe amekhaih timaw tawnh?
What have the wise more than the foolish? and what has the poor man by walking wisely before the living?
9 Palung koehhaih bangah amkaeh khing pongah loe, mik hoi hnuk ih hmuen to hoih kue; hae doeh azom pui ni, takhi hnukah patom rumram baktiah ni oh.
What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.
10 Vaihiah kaom hmuen loe canghni ah a poek ih hmuen to ni; kami loe angmah pongah thacak kue kami hoiah angnoek thai ai, hae loe kami khosakhaih dan boeh ni, tiah amtueng boeh.
That which is, has been named before, and of what man is there is knowledge. He has no power against one stronger than he.
11 Pop hmoek ah lok apaeh naah, avang ai lok to pop aep, to baktih lok mah kami han tih amekhaih maw ohsak?
There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?
12 Tahlip baktiah kalaem thaih, avanghaih om ai hing thungah, kami han atho om hmuen mi maw panoek thaih? Kami duek pacoengah loe ni tlim ah timaw om tih, tiah mi mah maw thui thai tih?
Who is able to say what is good for man in life all the days of his foolish life which he goes through like a shade? who will say what is to be after him under the sun?
