In his defense, he had no choice
He could not fall asleep
His mistress, the Queen, had charged
Him to watch without relief
He kept his eyes on the heifer, a beast
His Queen had cause to doubt
Not one, not two, but all one hundred
Fatigue and sleep knew him not
The King sent his messenger to lull him to slumber
So he could steal back his prize
But the guard watched so fervently and so diligently
Alas, it led to his early demise
The Queen, not one to trust her husband
Came to his side as soon as she heard
As a reward for his services, the guard’s eyes were placed
On the tail of the Queen’s sacred bird