A "hopeless" Diamond (In the Rough)

French trader Tavernier in a greed-inspired way Glared at an idol of a temple in Mandalay Prying a gem from its eye socket, a curse prevailed Tavernier died bankrupt soon after making the sale Louis XIV bought the stone, 1668 A gift to his mistress, Louis had it cut heart-shape For dabbling in Black Magic, this madam was burned A century passed with the curse’s power unlearned The diamond was then bestowed on Marie Antoinette For wearing it with boastful pride, Marie lost her head She lost respect from the commoners of her nation This gem has since been linked to the French Revolution Cut far smaller, the gem resurfaced, 1830 When a London banker bought the rock of infamy Henry Thomas Hope survived; the curse appeared to break For 70 years the Hope Diamond’s wrath lay in state A Hope heir’s marriage collapsed; his wife evoked the curse As she foretold, subsequent owners’ fates would be worse French broker Jacques Colot went mad, suicide his road Sultan “Abdul the Damned,” insane after being deposed Then to an American the Hope Diamond was sold Washington Post owner Maclean watched horrors unfold Other household members died, but it was Maclean’s son Ten years old, struck by a car, his Dad’s mind came undone Ultra-light ray tests caused the mystery diamond to glow With safety in mind, Hope’s eerie stone found a new home It remained locked on display in the Smithsonian Could it be to blame for all that’s wrong in Washington? Tragedy also tied to raiders of King Tut’s tomb Perhaps lessons can be gleaned from those who met their doom Robbing temples, burial sites, outcomes always bad Greedy souls’ quests for wealth can leave them totally mad So don’t expect me to purchase a diamond in the rough Considering this gem’s history, a sandstone’s quite enough