Others, among the humblest, have outstripped it. Prompted by an unconscious inspiration, they straightway resolved the paternal problem, which among us is still obscure. The Minotaur father in particular, [[171]]if he had a vote in these grave matters, would amend our decalogue. He would move to add, in simple lines imitated from our catechism:
“Bring up your children in the way they should do.” [[172]]
[1] Cf. The Sacred Beetle and Others: chaps. xi., xvii. and xviii.—Translator’s Note. [↑]
[2] Nicolas Joseph Laurent Gilbert (1751–1780), a satirical poet, many strophes of whose Adieux à la Vie have become classic.—Translator’s Note. [↑]
“And thenceforth, of his wings and scythe despoiled,
Time sleeps, unmoving on the worlds destroyed.”