The Bear and the Gardener
A bear and gardener,
Who mutually tired
Of solitary life,
And were inspired,
With a warm friendship for each other,
Promised to be to one another,
Excellent friends, and so they were.
As for the death of the poor man
I’ll tell you how it happened,
If I can.
The bear watching the gardener in his sleep—
Beholding on his head a fly,
And thinking it bad company,
Took up a stone and dropped it down,
Upon the fly ’tis true,
But broke the gardener’s crown.
Moral
To make our fortunes or to mend,
A most malignant enemy
Is better than a foolish friend.