When men fall out, and disagree
An argument may oft ensue
And egos may be somewhat bruised -
At least, for just an hour or two.

And when men argue over gold,
Or love, or land, or other prize
Their quarrel may to violence turn
And for such men i sympathise.

But when two statesmen disagree
Over some insult, or a slight,
And when they then declare war joined
And send ten thousand off to fight

And then retire to their soft chairs
To wait for word of distant death,
While young men battle through the night
For life and limb, with every breath,

I cannot say, with such good grace,
"Men grow careless when upset"
For quarrels justifying war
A precious few have I heard yet.

Penned by my hand on the 21st of Naturalis, in the year 428 AD.