Come, Almanack! To begin: there's Aries, or the Ram--
lecherous dog, he begets us; then, Taurus, or the Bull--
he bumps us the first thing; then Gemini, or the Twins--
that is, Virtue and Vice; we try to reach Virtue,
when lo! comes Cancer the Crab, and drags us back; and here,
going from Virtue, Leo, a roaring Lion, lies in the path--
he gives a few fierce bites and surly dabs with his paw;
we escape, and hail Virgo, the Virgin! that's our first love;
we marry and think to be happy for aye, when pop comes Libra,
or the Scales--happiness weighed and found wanting; and while we
are very sad about that, Lord! how we suddenly jump, as Scorpio,
or the Scorpion, stings us in the rear; we are curing the wound,
when whang comes the arrows all round; Sagittarius, or the Archer,
is amusing himself. As we pluck out the shafts, stand aside!
here's the battering-ram, Capricornus, or the Goat; full tilt,
he comes rushing, and headlong we are tossed; when Aquarius,
or the Waterbearer, pours out his whole deluge and drowns us;
and to wind up with Pisces, or the Fishes, we sleep.
There's a sermon now, writ in high heaven, and the sun goes through
it every year, and yet comes out of it all alive and hearty.
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