Go, child,
Go down to the woods
And find the caterpillar of storms
He is the only creature wise enough
To stop the ceaseless march of worms
To the early grave
When you make this journey, there are three dangers you will face:
The bear, the pitfall, and the snake;
If you wish to survive, my advice you must take;
The bear is all-mighty, but easily tricked
The pitfall’s within, and needs inner strength
While the snake would have you, provide substance for him
For the glorified bear you must use guile –
Drug the meat, and let him sleep awhile
For the stumbled fall you must use wings –
These wings you must unfold from within
For the turncoat snake you must have heart –
He will try to turn you to the corrupting dark
If at last all three dangers you have faced
There is a boat; there is a lake
Take the oars, and to the centre make
There, resplendent in the wind
Will be the creature that you seek
And remember! You must present him with a gift
Myrrh, or gold, or frankincense
He will speak, and you must listen
It is a sight! To watch his knowledge glisten
Then hurry back, along that same old-road
Be courteous to your vanquished foes
Return to me, and we shall see
If you have become the creature you set out to be
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