A DUEL OF WISDOM

Amidst verdant hills and sun-kissed plains,

There dwelled a mule, basking in lofty pride.

With an illusionary crown upon his stubborn head,

He deemed himself wise, none to match.

 

His hollow thoughts meandered aimlessly.

A delusion of grandeur, his soul’s guiding light.

Through mist-laden realms of his own making,

He saw himself as a sage, enlightened.

 

One fateful day, as destiny took its course,

He chanced upon a sage, a vessel of profound wisdom.

The mule's curiosity rose to boast his glory

and praised his own follies as hidden wonders.

 

"O noble sage," he proclaimed with might,

"I challenge thee to a contest, a duel of insight!

For I am the paragon of wisdom, so supreme,

No knowledge eludes me; no mysteries extreme."

 

The sage, serene as a mountain's peak,

Gazed upon the mule, neither mild nor meek.

Silence befell him, his lips remaining sealed,

As the mule's self-assurance was ready to yield.

 

The mule, misinterpreting silence's grace,

Perceived it as surrender, a subtle embrace.

He smirked, feeling victorious in his heart,

Forgetting silence's wisdom, a masterful art.

 

In his shallow victory, he turned to depart,

Leaving the sage behind, mute and apart.

But the sage, undisturbed by the mule's flight,

Knew that silence was a sword, sharpened and bright.

 

For the sage, realising that silence spoke

Words unspoken, like whispers evoking hope.

In the depths of quietude, wisdom unfurled,

A potent language, not comprehended by the world.

 

The mule, unaware of his own foolish pride,

Carried himself triumphantly, ignorance as his guide.

He weaved tales of his conquest, regaling all he met,

Blinded by his ego, a fable he penned in the dark.

 

Yet the sage, in his silent retreat,

Had sown a seed of wisdom, discreet.

His wisdom flourished, not in flattery's gleam.

But in silence, that spoke wisdom profound.