I.- The ox is free with his horns raised to the sky
He roars furiously
He runs madly and strays beyond the paths
Into the mountains farther and farther.
At the edge of the valley, a dark cloud reigns over the pass.
Under his hooves he knows how much fresh grass is ravaged!

II - A beginning of constraint, with my straw rope
i pierce his nostrils.
He tries to escape, brutally I whip him,
And again the whip.
With all his might, the indomitable wild beast resists.
But the man of the fields doesn't get up
He holds her back
And the whip is the threat.

III - Under harness
Gradually accustomed to tinkering
Bete now accepts
To be led by the nose.
She crosses the torrent
She follows the mountain paths
Step by step behind the master.
He holds the rope light
But always taut,
Tirelessly vigilant all day long.

IV - Amadoue
After many days, the practice bears fruit.
The beast has submitted.
Broken, she has become gentle.
But its guardian still has little faith in it.
Tied to a tree, the straw rope remains in place.

V.- Tame
Under the green willow,
Near the mountain stream,
The ox is delieged
Livre e son bon plaisir.
When evening comes
When the gray mist descends on the meadow
The man returns home.
Behind him, the beast follows peacefully.

VI - Unhindered
In the green field
The Beast lies
Calm and idle
And time passes.
No need for whips, no ties,
No more embarrassment.
The herdsman sits under a pine.
Full of joy
He sings in peace.

VII - Laissez faire
Along the alder bank
In the evening light
The brook flows quietly.
In the misty air
The thick grass grows and lengthens.
When it's hungry, it feeds
When thirsty, it drinks.

Time passes slowly.
Ignorant of its surroundings
For hours on end
On a rock the cowherd slumbers

VIII - Oblivion
The immaculate Beast
Is enveloped in clouds.
Man is at ease and carefree like his companion.
Crossed by the moonlight
The clouds cast their white shadow.
White the clouds go on their way
The brilliant clarion accompanies the moon's course

IX - The lonely moon
The Beast is nowhere
The herdsman no longer depends on the weather.
A solitary cloud he floats lightly along the mountain peaks.
He claps his hands
He sings his joy under the moonlight
But remember!
One last obstacle stands in the way of his return home.

X.- Missing
Man and Beast have disappeared
Without a trace
Moonlight illuminates the void
And no shadow over the Ten Thousand Things.

Whoever wishes to learn the meaning of it all,
Let him contemplate the flowers of a field
And breathe in their sweetness.