To be yourself takes strength,
Which later brings good fruit —
A person cheerful and happy.
But enemies envy him:

“How is this — he lives as he wants?
Duties choke us,
To remain free — that’s a crime,
Let them make him suffer!”

They write denunciations, strip him of property,
Stick their snouts into what is dearest —
So the soul may rise higher,
So it may spread its wings wider.