Psalms of the Brethren CCXXIX: Kacca[ya]na the Great

Let not a brother occupy himself
With busy works, let him keep clear of folk,
Nor strive [to copy nor to emulate].
Who greedy seeks to taste life’s feast entire,
Neglects the good that brings true happiness.

A treacherous bog it is, this patronage
Of bows and gifts and treats from wealthy folk.
’Tis like a fine dart bedded in the flesh,
For erring human hard to extricate.

(To the King.)
Not evil are the actions of a man
Because of what another [saith or doth];
’Tis of himself he must from wrong abstain,
Of their own acts the offspring mortals be.

No speech of others makes a man a thief,
No speech of others makes a man a sage;
And what we know at heart we really are,
That do the gods who know our hearts know too.

People can never really understand
That we are here but for a little spell.
But they who grasp this truth indeed,
Suffer all strife and quarrels to abate.

The wise man is alive, and he alone,
Although his wealth be utterly destroyed;
And if the man of wealth do wisdom lack,
For all his wealth he doth not truly live.

(To the King consulting him about a dream.)
Things of all sorts by way of ear we hear;
Things of all sorts by way of eye we see;
And for the wise and strong it is not fit
All to neglect as things unseen, unheard.

Let him as seeing be as he were blind,
Let him as hearing be as he were deaf,
Let him, in wisdom versed, be as one dumb,
And let the man of strength be as the weak;
But let the thing of genuine good arise: —
Be that for him the nesting-place of thought.