14. There is a generation whose teeth are swords, And whose jaw-teeth are knives, To devour the poor from off the earth, And the needy from among men.
15. The leech has two daughters: “Give! Give!” Three are not satisfied, Four that never say, “Enough”:
16. The grave, and the barren womb, Soil not satisfied with water, And fire which never says, “Enough.”
17. An eye that mocks his father, And scorns to obey his mother – Ravens of the wadi dig it out, And young eagles eat it!
18. Three matters are too marvellous for me, And four which I do not understand:
19. The way of an eagle in the heavens, The way of a snake on a rock, The way of a ship in the heart of the sea, And the way of a man with a girl.
20. This is the way of an adulterous woman: She shall eat and wipe her mouth, and say, “I have not done wickedness.”
21. Under three matters the earth trembles, And under four, it is unable to bear:
22. Under a servant when he reigns, And a fool when he is satisfied with food,
23. Under a hated woman who marries, And a female servant who supplants her mistress.
24. There are four matters Which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
25. The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer;
26. The rock badgers are a weak folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;
27. The locusts have no sovereign, Yet they all go out in formation;