English
A Parable
When a cat leaves its filth on a clean spot,
finding it ugly, it covers it with dirt.
Yet you commit shameful things openly,
unafraid that eyes might fall on you?
Think of the servant heavy with sin
who hides from his master for a while.
If he does not return in truth and humility,
they will drag him back in chains and shackles.
Only pick a bitter fight with someone
from whom you can escape or find a way out.
You must settle the account of your deeds now,
not when the ledger is finally unrolled.
Even one who did wrong did not do so badly
if he grieved for himself before the Day of Judgment.
Though a mirror darkens from a breath,
the mirror of the heart is polished bright by a sigh.
Fear your own sins this very moment,
so that on Judgment Day you fear no one.