The poet begins by saying that he has succumbed to the lure of every passion to the extent that his soul has become a "stringed lute". He wonders if he has surrendered his ancient wisdom for the sake of materialistic pleasures. He projects a sense of discontentment that he feels.
He then goes on to say that he feels like he has marred the greater secret to peace by indulging in every passion possible. He also says that there was one time when he would have done anything to "reach the ears of God" and wonders if that is a thing of the past.
In the end, he says that he merely touched the pleasures of passion but is tainted for life and doomed to lose "a soul's inheritance".
