Hi, I’m Beckmesser. I’m the leader of the guild.
This is where new apprentices are drilled.
It’s not much, but bear in mind we’ll brook no grousing.
It’s your object of inquiry and your housing.
You’ll note it’s newly floored and window-silled.
Those cubes up there are where you’ll be reading the law.
Tell the journeymen if you think you’ve found a flaw.
We expect you to get these rules by rote.
Later, the reasons for it will seem less remote.
We think they help callous the flesh to learning’s claw.
Sadly, there’s no way to make it fairer.
These rules are designed to protect us from error.
They sketch the very framework of our history.
We keep them enshrouded in mystery.
You must master them if you would be its sharer.
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