Riddle Of The Sphinx

I thought myself an orphan
I clawed my way up from the streets
To earn my rank of doctor
Equal to any I should meet
How could I know my fame arose from sly Olympian winks?
And soon I'd match myself against the riddle of the Sphinx

Four legs in the morning
Two legs in the day
Three legs in the evening
As body and mind decay

A mad disease striking poverty
In the slums no-one cares about
In its host causes rapid growth
In just weeks they will die
Children then look as aged men
But have not learned the words to cry
An old withered corpse, yet a child

Four legs in the morning
Two legs in the day
Three legs in the evening
As body and mind decay

Years I spent in experiment
Dissecting its chemistry
Endless tests finally yield success
With the compounds I need
A consequence, baleful oxidants
From Olympian eternity
They had to know what it leads to

Four legs in the morning
Two legs in the day
Three legs in the evening
As body and mind decay

Oedipus
Come, don't make a fuss
Your research takes a dangerous path
Take a pause
Find another cause
This will end in your fall
Whoe'er you be
If you threaten me
I warn you will feel my wrath
Don't interfere with my calling

Four legs in the morning
Two legs in the day
Three legs in the evening
As body and mind decay

Four legs in the morning
Two legs in the day
Three legs in the evening
As body and mind decay

Soon, the Olympians knew
Of what their immortality cost
They feigned their contrition
Mourning the lives that had been lost
They swore they'd find a way
That wouldn't lead to loss of life
They showered me with riches
And introduced me to my wife