To be wrongful is to be erroneous. To redeem is to buy back or atone for wrongs. “Lifelong” means spanning one’s whole earthly existence. This speaks of how a single misguided thought that gives rise to lecherous conduct brings about lifelong guilt that cannot be atoned for, dooming the sinner to hellish retribution.
What anguish must such a wretch endure!
Such a wretch refers to the lecherous man. At this hour, how can such a libertine bear his torment? How can his heart turn to true remorse?
Most blameworthy are merchants trading across rivers and lakes, who squander gold like dirt.
Trading means doing business. This passage speaks of the most blameworthy sort: merchants travelling across rivers and lakes, who indulge in lechery and consort with courtesans, squandering gold and silver as though they were filth.
They dally with courtesans to indulge passion, heedless of the watch bells and the waning night;
“Courtesans” means women who sell sexual services. They take courtesans in their arms, drinking and laughing to stir up amorous passion, caring nothing for how long or short the night may be.
They cling to sensual delights of wind‑swept blossoms, oblivious to the setting moon and the crows’ dawn cry.
To cling means to covet and refuse to let go. Wind‑swept blossoms, swaying charmingly, arouse lustful desires. The setting moon and crows’ cawing foretell the coming of dawn. This describes men who wallow in romantic indulgence, taking delight in mortal women. They fail to perceive the break of day and still refuse to depart.
Long parted from their hometowns, they rarely send fish‑scrolled letters; dwelling far away, they seldom dispatch messages tied to geese’s feet to their kin.