The Commentary of Hierocles upon the Golden Verses of Pythagoras

Be careful still to guard thy soul from wrong,
And let thy thought prevent thy hand and tongue.
Let not the stealing God of sleep surprize,
Nor creep in slumbers on thy weary eyes,
Ere ev'ry action of the former day
Strictly thou dost and righteously survey.
With rev'rence at thy own tribunal stand,
And answer justly to thy own demand.
Where have I been? in what have I transgress'd?
What good or ill has this day's life express'd?
Where have I fail'd in what I ought to do?
In what to God, to man, or to myself, I owe?
Inquire severe what-e'er from first to last,
From morning's dawn 'till ev'ning's gloom, has past,
If evil were thy deeds, repent and mourn,
And let thy soul with strong remorse be torn.
If good, the good with peace of mind repay,
And to thy secret self with pleasure say,
Rejoice, my heart, for all went well to-day.
A large vertical curly brace on the right side groups the three preceding lines (repay, say, to-day).

These thoughts and chiefly these thy mind should
Employ thy study, and engage thy love. [move,
These are the rules which will to virtue lead;
And teach thy feet her heav'nly paths to tread.
This by his name I swear, whose sacred lore
First to mankind explain'd the mystic Four, A reference to the Tetractys a triangular figure consisting of ten points in four rows, a sacred Pythagorean symbol.
Source of eternal nature and almighty power.
A large vertical curly brace on the right side groups the three preceding lines (lore, Four, power).

In all thou dost, first, let thy prayers ascend,
And to the gods thy labours first commend:
From them implore success, and hope a prosp'rous end.
A large vertical curly brace on the right side groups the three preceding lines (ascend, commend, end).