Classic Poem

A Cat and Raven quarreled once.
The Cat called Raven coward, dunce,
Lobster, blatherskite, poltroon,
Blackguard, scullion, and coon,
Hatchet-face and scrawny pate,
And other names I must not state.
And ere the Raven could reply,
The Cat had clawed it in the eye;
And ere the Raven had upsprung,
The Cat had bitten off its tongue.
The Public, ignorant of what
A handicap the Bird had got,
Admired its passive reticence
And said, " What dignity, what sense,
What lofty self-control! This Raven
Deigns not to answer such a craven.
Yes, silence is the wise retort —
It makes your foe feel like a wart. "

MORAL

It's often nothing of the sort!