Omnis homo mendax
As for the liar, fear him less
Than one who thinks himself sincere
Who, having deceived himself,
Can deceive you with a good conscience.
One who doubts his own truth
May mistrust another less:
Knowing, in his own heart,
That all men are liars
He will be less outraged
When he is deceived by another.
So, too, will he sooner believe
In the sincerity of God.
The sincerity of God! Who never justifies
His actions to men! Who makes no bargains
With any other sincerity, because He knows
There is no other! Who does what He pleases
And never protests His innocence!
Which of us can stand the sincerity of God?
Which of us can bear a Lord
Who is neither guilty nor innocent
(Who cannot be innocent because He cannot
be guilty)?
What has our sincerity to do with His
Whose truth is no approval of our truth
And is not judged by anyone,
Even by Himself?
(Yet if I think myself sincere
I will approve the purity of God
Convinced that my own purity
Is approved by Him)
So, when the Lord speaks, we go to sleep
Or turn quickly to some congenial business
Since, as every liar knows,
No man can bear such sincerity.