1. Should I lay my head on the fangs of snakes that writhe,
Or spread out embers and have them blaze?

2. Shall I befriend peers with tricks up their sleeve,
Rogues with calloused hands and knotty clubs?

3. Or shall I encounter forest lions head on
With their roar and rage in their chests?

4. It’s easier to endure men’s hatred
And the enmity of kin and neighbors should they turn rabid

5. I must find a scheme still that outwits
As war horses retreat and staves overturn

6. And eggs lose heart one day though invincible
As embers die out and snakes slither away

7. For their wiles aren’t safe from fate
Until death, unrelentingly lying in wait

8. Nothing’s greater than our states ever
Of waiting, with blazing longing in our chests