20 Too much wine begins to mock you,
    too much strong drink leads to noisy fights,
    and whoever is misled by either is not wise.

²⁹ Who is wallowing in anguish? Who is full of sorrow?
    Who has conflicts? Who has complaints?
Who has bruises and can’t remember where they came from?
    Who has bloodshot eyes?
³⁰ You know who: those who stay up late finishing off the wine,
    those who can’t stop savoring spiced wines.
³¹ Look away from the enticing beauty of wine, the deep red hue;
    ignore how it shimmers in the cup
    and glides down your throat.
³² Eventually, when you least expect it, it strikes like a snake;
    it stings like viper venom.
³³ Your vision will blur, and you’ll imagine strange things;
    you will say crazy, hurtful things and regret it later.
³⁴ You will reel and stagger as if caught on a wave of seasickness,
    as a sailor who holds on to a mast for dear life.
³⁵ You will say, “They slapped me, but it didn’t hurt.
    They beat me, and I didn’t feel a thing!
Whenever I wake up from this stupor,
    I’ll have another drink!”