Enter the lion’s den:
Plunge in the roaring flood:
Set foot on the centipede;*
Let scorpions sting you to blood:
Thrust head in the cobra’s mouth,
Trusting that all will be well:
Drink of the poison cup:
Leap in the flames of hell:
Follow your whim, if you wish
To learn in a bitter school:
All that I ask you is this,
Never make friend of a fool.