"If as a weary man you fail in deed
and injustice prevails, blot out remorse
for wrongdoing; when the sole worst
begets an even greater wrong
to tempt already laden thoughts of
evildoers, what have they received
when they've already deceived
their consciences? Admit lust for sin,
and wholly trust that in secret abides
a love for such. Never hide behind
regret for history when lessons
must accompany the pain of morals
dropped." Here the speaker stopped
his discourse and turned toward his
lone student. "Learn not what
makes a man hate his own, but listen
to the jealous tone with which
he watches snowy fields in winter;
cold men never yield to reason,
but to fright they lend all frozen might.
Just like the cold man, those who
whisper in bare prose of deeds past
done in hate and rage, lie subject
to a written page holding them
between bars. The hearts that bear
some scars should not regret
to likewise die.
In this, then, does my lesson lie:
'Tis better to let old wounds heal
and stop their itching than to peel
the scabs and make them bleed
for longer than they need."