the barber and the bald man and the ubiquitous philosopher are travelling in ancient Rome Here below the tree at night they rest and take turns to keep an eye on their luggage Now it is the turn of the barber to keep watch and he gets bored and he takes out his shaving kit and he gives the sleeping philosopher a free shave, so now you have two bald men
And now it’s the philosopher’s watch and he wakes up and he feels his smooth head and he muses to himself: *“That stupid barber! He has woken up the bald man instead of waking up the philosopher!”
Poem based on a joke from a collection of jokes from ancient Rome, brought to light by Mary Beard (see her TV series “Meet the Romans")