They laugh at me Men younger than I am Whose fathers I would have refused With dogs that guarded my flock What use was the power of their hands Their vigor has perished They are worn out from want and hunger They gnaw at the parched ground That was ruined and desolated They gather preserves from the bushes Consuming the root of diseased trees Exiled from their heritage Ostracized like thiefs Dwelling on creviced cliffs In holes in the ground From thickets they cry out Intetwined amongst thorns Sons of the senseless cast far away Mocking hymns I’ve become an object of scorn They detest me Far away from me they stand With spit they cover my face The sun has disarmed me and made me low There is no mercy in my presence Barriers of destruction are in my path There’s no one to stop them Did someone breach the wall Terror overwhelms me My dignity is driven away like the wind My life recedes from me Held by days of affliction The gnawing pain never stops The collar of my garment chokes me Reduced to dust and ashes I cry for help but there is no answer All have turned against me Tossed about in the storm Have I not wept for others during hard times Have I not grieved I hoped for good but badness came The churning did not stop Days of affliction confronted me There is no sunlight