Classic Poem

I sought the Sphinx and asked advice
On how to woo a heart of ice.
She sat in silent majesty
And ne'er a word vouchsafed to me,
But with a cold and vacant stare
In frigid stillness rested there;
But soon her answer cleft my pate —
Her pose replied, " I N PATIENCE WAIT ! "

" How shall I circumvent, " quoth I,
" The rival who is always nigh,
And fills my anxious soul with fear
Lest he shall win what I hold dear? "
I pleaded hard, and still the same
Deep silence for my portion came;
Yet soon I saw, to my delight,
The answer was, " Sit TIGHT ! Sit TIGHT ! "

Again, encouraged, I drew near
And whispered in the Sphinx's ear:
" What need I most to win Babette,
On whom my doting heart is set?
What quality of strengthful men
Must I acquire to hope again? "
Her glance went speeding o'er the land,
And there I found my answer — " Sand ! "