¹ Receive, Sethus, gladly, and read with a serene mind
The words of Columbanus, faithfully warning you with his voice.
Though they lack the elegance of refined speech,
They still bear witness to a devout heart and sincere love.

² Live trusting in God, by following the precepts of Christ,
As long as life endures and the appointed time of salvation lasts.
Time and hours fly; age slips away in moments.
Consider the things that perish, the fleeting joys of life.

³ Do not pursue fragile wealth or empty gains,
Nor let the abundance of material possessions trouble you.
Let your wealth be the divine teachings of the Law
And the chaste guidance of the holy Fathers’ lives,
All that diligent teachers have written before
Or what eloquent poets have sung in their verses.

⁴ Take hold of these riches and always despise what is fleeting.
Let trembling old age come to mind,
Which the icy force of death will eventually follow.
The wise man contemplates the last days of life,
The strength weakened by old age, the frequent illnesses,
The uncertain day of joy and the certain pains;
The many discomforts of frail flesh plague the aged.

⁵ For the languid limbs waste away with disgraceful decay.
Then the joints of the knees stiffen, and through all the veins
The blood in his entire body grows cold.
Thus, leaning on a staff, he supports his motionless limbs.

⁶ Why should I recount the sorrowful groans or the weariness of the mind?
Sleep flees from his eyes, and every sound disturbs him.
How, then, will silver or gold, or the amassed heaps
Of wealth gathered over many years, help him?
What use are the gifts of the powerful? The feasts at the tables of the rich?
What good is it to recall the joys of a past life,
When the end of life’s last days finally arrives?

⁷ Whoever reflects on these things with a vigilant mind
While life flies by despises greed and rejects vain honors.
Why do mortals now fix their minds on earthly concerns?
Why do they pursue shameful gains?

⁸ The miser is always in need of money (as the poet testifies),
And the love of money grows as wealth itself increases.
Though he is surrounded by riches, he lacks what he seems to have.
Alone in his house, he hoards his money in secret,
Piling up wealth. But since he does not know how to love himself,
He loves his heir more, faithfully preserving all for him.

⁹ O truly blessed is he who is content with a moderate use of things,
So as to care for his body with balanced restraint!
He is not captivated by wretched, blind greed for possessions,
Nor does he desire more than nature demands.

¹⁰ Not greedy for profit, he does not fill his purse with coins,
Nor does he heap up fine garments to feed moths;
He does not fatten horses with rich fodder,
Nor does he turn over anxious cares in his trembling heart,
Worried that sudden flames might consume his gathered wealth,
Or that a wicked thief might break into his chest and steal his coins.

¹¹ Life can be lived without silver, without gold.
Naked we are born, and the earth receives us naked again.
For the wealthy, the gates of black Dis (the underworld) are opened,
But for the poor and pious, the heavenly kingdom lies open.

¹² The Savior warned the greedy to despise riches;
Whoever loves Christ follows in Christ’s footsteps.
For the glory of the perishable flesh, brief and fragile,
Will be snatched away by the swift flight of time.

¹³ The voice of the truthful poet beautifully sang such things:
“Reckoning the times of the fleeting life:
Time moves all things, and with time, everything is carried along.
The elements alternate, and seasons change:
Days and nights in turn receive their growth.
There is a time for flowers, and harvest has its appointed season;
Thus the field is again clothed with dense grass.
There is a time for rejoicing and a fixed time for mourning.
There are times of life and sorrowful times of death.
Time gives, takes away, and diminishes all things.”

¹⁴ Spring, summer, autumn, winter: the year returns year by year,
Yet as all these things return, man’s age does not return to him.

¹⁵ The wise man remembers this always, in every hour,
And chooses a house of mourning over lavish feasts.

¹⁶ Now I will conclude these words with a humble prayer:
Be mindful of me when you have read these verses,
And may you enjoy the long years of old age you desire.