He was a lad--a tender boy,
And she--she held him as her toy,
And when she wearied of his way
And would with other playthings play,
I heard him say beneath his breath:--
A fool am I; it is my death--
She jilted me--the little lass,--
I will not let such fooling pass
But shift at once some bitter dart
Back--back again into her heart,
But then thought he--All those who play
With fools are fools as well as they,
And so he made a living rule:--
It takes a fool to fool a fool.