Does Not Matter

No matter how rich you are,
unless you share your wealth with your brother,
no matter how much you know,
if you don't clasp a friend's hand,
no matter how powerful you are,
if you turn away from the world with cold eyes,
it doesn't matter how good you are,
if your gift lives in shadow,
no matter how far your sight reaches when trouble stirs,
your keen ear and all your gold mean nothing
the moment the poor man's cry goes unheard,
no matter how much you love,
if love flows without purpose, without weight,
it doesn't matter how adorned you are,
if beneath the surface your soul is cheap,
experience, the years—they count for nothing,
if wisdom has left you a stranger to yourself,
name and gender don't signify,
if you strut about like a pompous fool,
no matter how brave your heart,
the instant you bow before a tyrant,
no matter how composed you seem,
if loneliness haunts you even among your own,
it doesn't matter what I say,
once you've found your way back to the true path!