Ballade of ancient thought

The story begins, or so we've been often told,
with efforts to turn old wisdom into common sense;
so Heraclitus, Confucius, Qoheleth all were bold
to tell us how to behave without the least pretense.
Yet they found their disciples somewhat dense,
who took their sayings as wise as well as true,
who didn't get the message, nor the immense
significance that they sought speech to imbue.

When it continues, the trail's no longer cold
for many have passed what was the border fence;
Plato, Aristotle, Xunzi, Master Meng the very old,
each of them sought to make a large difference
and bring new concepts to traditional sense.
Each now receives the respect that they were due
when living, for we now see the intense
significance that they sought speech to imbue.

But others taught things that were still more bold,
showed ways that led to other forms of sense,
and taught us that the new is as clear as the old.
Brhaspati, Zhuangzi, Epicurus, and hence
we tear the veil from all forms of pretense,
and know that there are better things yet to do.
For each thinker still has power to dispense
significance that they sought speech to imbue.

Prince, we know that you have sought to fence
in philosophy that we all know to be true,
but still you cannot dismiss as mere nonsense
significance that they sought speech to imbue.