A melon on the throne

Unable to decide, the King asks the 'wisest man' in the land. He is thought wise only because he is very old. His verdict: the arch itself must be hanged. But a councillor objects: how can they hang something that has touched the King's head? That would be shameful.

Meanwhile, the crowd has grown restless: they came to see a hanging, and want one. So the King decides that guilt can wait: someone must be hanged now, to satisfy the people.

A noose is set up, but it is set so high that only one person is tall enough to fit it: the King. And so the King is hanged, by his own decree.

The kingdom needs a new ruler. By custom, the next person to pass through the city gate will choose the King. That person is an idiot, who answers every question with 'A melon'. So a melon is crowned King.

And the people? They do not mind at all, as long as they are left in peace and liberty. The poem uses irony to mock both foolish rulers and indifferent subjects who do not care who rules them.