“ Without a ferry or ever missing a step they go
across every sea:
Swiftly they leap in one bound from earth to
heaven.
They run a race of folly anear and afar:
After a course of giddiness they return to their
home.
Though one should try to bind them or put
shackles on their feet,
They are neither constant nor mindful to take a
spell of rest.
Neither sword-edge nor crack of whip will keep
them down strongly:
As slippery as an eel's tail they glide out of my
grasp. ”