Tara

20 Courage

1	A Wealthy Merchant, whose only son was fond of hunting, had a fearful dream,
2	In which he envisaged his son would be killed terribly by a lion.
3	Fearful the dream be an omen, he forbid his son any further adventures.
4	Instead, he built him a beautiful high walled garden,
5	Full of great life sized sculptures of animals and murals including a painting of a lion.
6	One day in front of the painted lion in a fit of frustration,
7	The son did speak: O you most detestable of animals!
8	Upon your account within the false visions of my father,
9	I am condemned to this palace as if a virgin princess.
10	With these words he stretched out his hands toward a thorn-tree,
11	Meaning to cut a stick from its branches so that he might deface the image.
12	But one of the tree's prickles pierced his finger and caused great pain and inflammation,
13	So that within a few days the son died from a violent and terrible fever.
14	Upon returning from business the Wealthy Merchant grieved:
15	Curse thee fear and cowardice. For you did conspire to manifest the very destiny I sought to delay.
16	Better then my son had died in honor, than a prisoner of my own making.