People labor hard to gain contentment

Though success is very far from sure;

But how can they be happy if they do not labor,

Those whose joy is in the work itself?

And since I never have enough of pleasure,

Honey on the razor’s edge,

How could I have enough of merit,

Fruits of which are happiness and peace?

The elephant, tormented by the noonday sun,

Will dive into the waters of a lake,

And likewise I must plunge into this work

That I might bring it to completion.

If impaired by weakness or fatigue,

I’ll lay it aside, the better to resume.

And I will leave tasks comleted,

Anticipating thus the work to come.

…

The lichen hanging in the trees watfs to and fro

Stirred by every breath of the wind;

Likewise, all I do will be acheived,

Enlivened by the movements of a joyful heart.

Bodhicharyavatara of Shantideva, pt IIV, 64-67 & 75; as translated by the Padmakara Translation Group