‘Time is short, life is short,’ they took up the tale:

‘Life is sweet, love is sweet; use to-day while you may;

Love is sweet and to-morrow may fail:

Love is sweet, use to-day.’”

The Prince turns out to be a sad laggard; but what else could he be when he had to traverse such lands as this?

“Off he set. The grass grew rare,

A blight lurked in the darkening air,

The very moss grew hueless and spare,

The last daisy stood all astunt;

Behind his back the soil lay bare,