sub dequote;
$poem = dequote <<EVER_ON_AND_ON;
	Now far ahead the Road has gone,
	  And I must follow, if I can,
	Pursuing it with eager feet,
	  Until it joins some larger way
	Where many paths and errands meet.
	  And whither then? I cannot say.
	          --Bilbo 
EVER_ON_AND_ON
print "Here's your poem: \n\n$poem\n";
sub dequote {
	local $_ = shift;
	
	my ($white,$leader);
	if (/^\s*(?:([^\w\s]+)(\s*).*\n)(?:\s*\1\2?.*\n)+$/){
		($white,$leader) = ($2,quotemeta($1)); 
	}else {
		($white,$leader) = (/^(\s+)/,'');
	}
	
	s/^\s*?$leader(?:$white)?//gm;
	return $_;
}