from Corpus Hermeticum VII (Alan Jacob's abridged translation)

CORPUS HERMETICUM VII

Dear fellows, where are you
rushing to like drunkards, tipsy
and staggering on the rich wine of reason,
forgetful of God?

You cannot stomach it;
already you're about to vomit!

Halt! Sober up!

Elevate yourself by mental power.
Maybe not all of you can do that,
but some of you can!

For the degeneration that flows
from forgetfulness is drowning the earth,
infecting soul and body,
veiling the soul like a cloak
and stopping you from abiding in the heart.

So don't be swept away
by this mad flood!

Find the way into your heart!
Look for a good teacher to show you the path
to the gates of rememberance.
Where there's a Light,
radiant and bright,
free from darkness.

Where nobody is drunk,
but keeps their mental eye on that Great Being
who wills to be known in their heart.

That Great Being cannot
be seen or heard, or spoken
or thought about,
only by a higher subtle
intellect that transcends
normal matters of the mind.

But first strip off
the soiled cloak you wear,
the foul mantle of forgetfulness,
the base of wickedness,
the link with evil,
the black pit,
the spiritual death,
the walking corpse,
the moving coffin,
the domestic rogue who
feeds on guile, which he relishes,
and conspires to cause your downfall.

Such is the habit;
the filthy coat you've put on,
that is your foe!
It suffocates you and drags you
down to it's cruel self, into the gutter.

Otherwise, through aspiration
and seeing the beauty of Truth
and the Good that dwells in you,
you will come to despise
this vile enemy who plots to destroy you.

It ruins the mind and pollutes
the senses by muddying them
with gross materialism,
filling them with disgusting
lust for inane pleasure,
to prevent you from understanding
what you should understand!

And, what is worse,
it will stop you from seeing
forever what you should really see!