Classic Poem

Those great men to whom no other men can even be compared,
whose royal drums with the mighty voices beaten out
by fine small sticks, like the thunder when it strikes down
serpents, roared aloud a single command to heroic warriors,
even they, their fame left safely behind them, have vanished!
And so, son of a righteous man, chieftain among those men who are courageous!
I am going to tell you one thing, and listen to me!
Don't let others know how strong you are
but learn what they are saying, and help those who take action
like men while the sun is up, and when night falls, you should
consider what will happen next, and then, lord, speak out!
Just as a massive ox will plow and then devour his hay,
you may feel disturbed by the women with lovely red lines
in their eyes who pour out choice filtered toddy
into a fine-fashioned vessel, lord of endless
wealth! . . . . killing a male goat and tearing off the roasted meat,
you should have it set out on leaves and given without stinting
to those people who are hungry for that food that is like an oblation
and grant a place to those who want boiled rice and then you yourself
should eat! As with the goats collected for sacrifice who fill all the space
of the enclosures laid out for ecstatic dancing within every grove
along the water where the shores are heaped
with flowing sand, death is real, not in any way is it illusion!