“What is a goat,”

said the prince to his tutor

“if it’s not but a man and two horns?

For if learning by rote

is the path of the suitor,

then I wish that I’d never been born.”

 

“It’s a path that I’ve traveled,”

the tutor replied,

“Though my woman was not worth the while,

my life is unraveled

my lover did die

and my girl is now heavy with child.”

 

“But what I do not see,”

said the boy with delight,

“is the nature of learning for love.

So explain this to me,

do not hold back for fright,

rather let down the word from above.”

 

“Well, we learn not for women,”

said the tutor befuddled,

“it is much more complex, and right now

what we learn is a lemon

Oh, it’s hopelessly muddled

I could never explain to you how…”

 

“It’s a good thing I’m prince,”

said the young boy with joy,

“for if I want, I can chop off your head.

You’ll explain it all since,

As I’m now quite annoyed,

You might come to regret what you’ve said.”

 

“Well, I’ll more than explain,”

the man lacked any choice,

“I will show you the thing that you wish.”

And he led him in pain

for he feared the young voice

to a door in the shape of a fish.

 

“It’s a secret, young earl,”

and the tutor described,

“what you’ll find is a dangerous thing.

In this room is a girl

and no human alive

can come out once he’s heard this girl sing.”

 

But the prince did not learn

though the tutor entreated

and the boy might as well have been slain

for he never returned

lessons left unrepeated

and a lemon was all that remained.