Il Cantilena, oldest known literary text in Malti (about 1480 by Pietru Caxaro)

Xideu il cada ye gireni tale nichadithicum
Mensab fil gueri uele nisab fo homorcom
Calb mehandihe chakim soltan ui le mule
Bir imgamic rimitne betiragin mucsule
Fen hayran al garca nenzel fi tirag minzeli
Nitla vu nargia ninzil deyem fil bachar il hali.

Huakit hi mirammiti lili zimen nibni
Mectatilix mihallimin me chitali tafal morchi
fen timayt insib il gebel sib tafal morchi
vackit hi mirammiti.

Huakit by mirammiti Nizlit hi li sisen
Mectatilix li mihallimin ma kitatili li gebel
fen tumayt insib il gebel sib tafal morchi
Huakit thi mirammiti lili zimen nibni
Huec ucakit hi mirammiti vargia ibnie
biddilihe inte il miken illi yeutihe
Min ibidill il miken ibidil i vintura
haliex liradi ’al col xibir sura
hemme ard bayad v hemme ard seude et hamyra
Hactar min hedann heme tred mine tamara.

New maltese orthography:

Xidew il-qada, ja ġirieni, tale nħadditkom,
Ma nsab fil-weri u la nsab f’għomorkom
Qalb m’għandha ħakem, sultan u la mula
Bir imgħammiq irmietni, b’turġien muħsula,
Fejn ħajran għall-għarqa, ninżel f’taraġ minżeli
Nitla’ u nerġa’ ninżel dejjem fil-baħar il-għoli.

Waqgħet hi, imrammti, l’ili żmien nibni,
Ma ħtatlix mgħallmin, ’mma qatagħli tafal merħi;
Fejn tmajt insib il-ġebel, sibt tafal merħi;
Waqgħet hi, imrammti.

Waqgħet hi, imrammti, niżżlet hi s-sisien,
Ma ħtatlix l-imgħallmin, ’mma qatagħli l-ġebel;
Fejn tmajt insib il-ġebel, sibt tafal merħi;
Waqgħet hi, imrammti, l’ili żmien nibni.
U hekk waqgħet hi, imrammti! w erġa’ ibniha!
Biddilha inti l-imkien illi jewtiha;
Min ibiddel l-imkien ibiddel il-vintura;
Għaliex l-iradi għal kull xiber sura:
Hemm art bajda, w hemm art sewda u ħamra.
Aktar minn hedawn hemm trid minnha tmarra.

Here I tried to translate it, would be thankful if you could give me hints for missing or faulty words:

اشهدوا القعدة يا جيراني ,تعالوا نحدّثكم,
ما انصاب في الواري (الجاري) و لا انصاب في عمركم
قلب ما عندهاش حاكم, سلطان و لا مولى
بير معمّق رماتني بدرجان مكسورة
فين حيران عالغرقة, ننزل في درج منزالي
نطلع و نرجع ننزل دايم في البحر الخالي

وقعت هي مرمّتي, ليلي زمان نبني,
ما خطاتليش المعلمين أما قطعلي طَفَل مرخي
فين تمنيت نصيب الجبل, صبت طفل مرخي
وقعت هي مرمّتي

وقعت هي مرمّتي, نزلت هالسّيسان
ما خطاتليش المعلمين أما قطعلي الجبل
فين تمنيت نصيب الجبل, صبت طفل مرخي
وقعت هي مرمّتي, ليلي زمان نبني,
و هكّ وقعت هي, مرمّتي و ارجع ابنيها
بدّلها انتِ للمكان اللّي يواتيها
من يبدل المكان يبدل ال"فنتورة"
علاش الأراضي على كل شبر صورة
فمّ (ثمّة) أرض بيضاء و فمّ أرض سوداء و حمراء
أكثر من هاذون فمّ تريد منها تمارة

Translation in Wikipedia.org:

Witness my predicament, my friends (neighbours), as I shall relate it to you:
never has there been, neither in the past, nor in your lifetime,
A [similar] heart, ungoverned, without lord or king (sultan),
That threw me down a well, with broken stairs
Where, yearning to drown, I descend the steps of my downfall,
Climb back up, only to go down again in this sea of woe.

It(she) fell, my edifice, [that] which I had been building for so long,
It was not the builders’ fault, but (of) the soft clay (that lay beneath);
Where I had hoped to find rock, I found loose clay
It(she) fell, my building!

It(she) fell, my building, its foundations collapsed;
It was not the builders’ fault, but the rock gave way,
Where I had hoped to find rock, I found loose clay
It (she) fell, my edifice, (that) which I had been building for so long,
And so, my edifice subsided, and I shall have to build it up again,
change the site that caused its downfall
Who changes his place, changes his "vintura"!
for each (piece of land) has its own shape (features);
there is white land and there is black land, and red
But above all, you must stay clear of it.