Open Rebuke

Vials of stolen waters are sweet To the drunkard who drinks As if he has not drank Who inside is like bottled up wine Pouring new wines into an old wine skin Though he must vent, ready to burst He considers not that the wines will run out And that the bottle will perish Thus, the simple man seeks another drink Making glances and taking chances With festive dances and forbidden romances The winebibber staggers and falls into deep ditches Full of the nectar and the dregs of the flesh Under the tree of knowledge in fields of subtle venoms Loaves of secret bread are pleasant To the glutton who gluts As if she lacks bread Wiping her mouth saying she has done no wrong Though she’s known, a woman given to appetite Yet she puts not the knife to her throat Neither considers the dainties before her That such food id deceitful meat The strange woman craves more delacacies Making glances and taking chances With festive dances and forbidden romances The riotous eater of flesh gnash a mouthful of gravel Engorged with the grains she grinds That pierce, alas, like a sword and stabs like a dagger Whose drowsiness clothes with rags And covers such impoverished souls With hunger and sleep, thus you must listen Guide your heart in the Way And be not among them Lest you learn their ways snaring your one soul.