So: the candle has passed through a portal Stayed by a sentry as I try to follow Changing my cloak to a gown to gain entry There in the center its bearer awaits In a circular chamber of doors Guarded by shadowy forms There in the middle; a room and a riddle She fades away... There where she was A golden bird did appear Briefly I heard the song of that bird And then it too disappeared Traded my cloak for a gown; look around It's the same as these guardians wear Faces obscured, still undisturbed With their doors in this circular lair The silence eventually broke In one voice, the guardians spoke There in the middle; a room and a riddle Surrounded thus " An oath to be sworn and a robe to be worn Now you're one of us!" Sentries and doors! Guard with your life Behind each door: A withered child clutching a knife