Folio I
Rome
shaved.
And Rome
fell.Rome shaved.
And Rome fell.
the razor came
before the ruinthe razor came before the ruin
Folio II
on the making of
Aleppo
Beard SoapAleppo Beard Soap
olive and laurel,
cured slow
Take the oil of the olive and the oil of the laurel. Boil them in the old way, in Turkey, on the very ground where Byzantium stood. Cut the bars and leave them to cure until they turn gold on the outside and stay green within. Wash the beard with it. It comes out clean and soft, never stripped.Take the oil of the olive and the oil of the laurel. Boil them in the old way,
- i. Olive oil, for softness
- ii. Laurel oil, for strength
- iii. Cured slow, made in Turkey
Folio III
here sits
The Oracle of the Beard
The old man in the margins has read ten thousand beards. Answer him five questions and he will name the emperor thine resembles.
Choose thy weapon.
I
Rome shaved.
The West took up the razor and lost its empire. The beard went east with the crown.
II
Byzantium kept it.
A thousand years of emperors, each one bearded, each one washed with olive and laurel.
III
Now it falls to thee.
The recipe still lives in Turkey. One bar. Put down the razor and join the line.