Rome never looks where she treads
Always her heavy hooves fall
On our stomachs, our hearts and our heads
And rome never hears when we bawl
Her sentries pass on — that is all
And we gather behind them in hordes
And plot to reconquer the wall
With only our tongues for our swords
For we are the little folk — we!
Too little to love or to hate
Leave us alone and you’ll see
That we can bring down the state
Mistletoe killing an oak
Rats gnawing cables in two
Moths making holes in a cloak
How they must love what they do!
Yes — and we little folk too
We are as busy as they
Working our works out of view
Watch, and you’ll see it some day
No indeed! we are not strong
But we know of peoples that are
Yes and we’ll guide them along
To smash and destroy you in war
We shall be slaves just the same?
Yes, we have always been slaves
But you — you will die of the shame
And then we will dance on your graves
We are the worm in the wood!
We are the rot at the root!
We are the taint in the blood!
We are the thorn in the foot!
Rudyard kipling