Thag 5.2 - Subhūta
Translated by Bhikkhu Sujato
Source: https://suttacentral.net/thag5.2/en/sujato
License: CC0-1.0

Verses of the Senior Monks 5.2
The Book of the Fives
Chapter One
Subhūta
When a person, wishing for a certain outcome,
applies themselves where they ought not;
not achieving what they worked for,
they say: “That’s a sign of my bad luck.”
When a misfortune is extracted and beaten,
to surrender it in part would be like losing at dice;
but to surrender it all you’d have to be blind,
not seeing the even and the uneven.
You should only say what you would do;
you shouldn’t say what you wouldn’t do.
The wise will recognize
one who talks without doing.
Just like a glorious flower
that’s colorful but lacks fragrance;
well-spoken speech is fruitless
for one who does not act on it.
Just like a glorious flower
that’s both colorful and fragrant,
well-spoken speech is fruitful
for one who acts on it.