The Song Cycles of Vassilian are a compendium of seven hundred and ninety-four songs that used to be sung by the Great Circling Poets of Arium on planet Golgafrincham.
These songs were all of extraordinary beauty, and even more extraordinary length, and all fell into exactly the same pattern. The first part of each song would tell how there once went forth from the City of Vassilian a party of five sage princes with four horses. The princes, who are of course brave, noble and wise, travel widely in distant lands, fought giant ogres, pursue exotic philosophies, take tea with weird gods and rescue beautiful monsters from ravening princesses before finally announcing that they have achieved enlightenment and that their wanderings are therefore accomplished.
The second, and much longer, part of each song would then tell of all their bickerings about which one of them is going to have to walk back.