what not to ask

 day follows day in precise normal mode

all of our arrows remain in quiver

nothing it seems can act as force or goad

the journey's not made in ancient flivver

all is dependent on silent giver

to take us past what might have never been

the gallows raised upon the village green

such matters take a single simple course

and end in places that are now unseen

the sage must value man and never horse

 

this is the start of a long tiring road

ending at mouth of a large slow river

a standard gift or horrid curse bestowed

as blessing or as truly painful shiver

not something that we could deliver

this matters we find not a single bean

so much we say we cannot ever mean

the word in each mouth turns so swiftly coarse

the voyage never becomes transmarine

the sage must value man and never horse

 

our hope is never wholly safely stowed

dependent as it is on heart and liver

a sort of signal in a secret code

of which we can know only a sliver

enough at least to tell the forgiver

how to begin to set the final scene

and to command as if a king or queen

speaking in honour and without remorse

a gathering that we could all convene

the sage must value man and never horse

 

prince we escape and know that we are clean

of human wisdom all that we could glean

to the full limits of our petty force

do not attempt to fight or intervene

the sage must value man and never horse

sage admonitions

 so much of who we are comes down to pain

we choose to fear our thoughts and not to rest

when all we have to do is just abstain

from acting and let others do their best

to show their zeal and justify their zest

our hearts belong to the soft flute and lyre

and all we do is temper your desire

 

your choice is simple come in from the rain

and leave to others now the daily test

some things should be as obvious and plain

as if they had by others been confessed

but you would move at their not our behest

to raise your voice in that abysmal choir

and all we do is temper your desire

 

you don't expect to go against the grain

without some price being instantly assessed

life is not life without some darkling bane

upon your body at some time being pressed

you do not hold such things close to your breast

but flee at once from indications dire

and all we do is temper your desire

 

to act with thought will bring you greater gain

than thoughtless action you would soon detest

that should be obvious and not arcane

this is no time for foolishness or jest

as better folk than you can well attest

you have to show your worth to any buyer

and all we do is temper your desire