Herculean

A sonnet describing one of Hercules’ labours

The fifth task called for Herculean grit,

A chore, some say, were better left unsung

The cleaning up of reeking cattle dung

Or synonym which I had best omit.

He could have cleared the ordure bit by bit,

But Hercules fulfilled the onerous feat

By using nature’s force, he chose to cheat

And, by re-routing rivers, finished it

In record time, a flushing job well done.

Alas, his claim for due reward backfired,

The king refused to pay the man he’d hired,

So Hercules appealed in court and won.

Thus did the famous saying come to pass,

The epigram: that where there’s muck there’s brass.