A BESTIARY: THE PANTHER by ANONYMOUS

THE Panther, a wild beast is he,
On earth is none fairer to see,
For black is his hue, I wot,
Marked over with many a spot,
Round as a wheel, and white,
That becometh him well to sight.
And where'er he his life doth lead
He on other beasts doth feed;
He taketh the best at will
And eats of the meat his fill,
Then still in his lair he keeps,
And for three days long he sleeps,
Then, when the third day is o'er,
He doth rise, and will loudly roar;
From his throat there cometh a scent,
With his voice it abroad is sent,
That balsam doth far exceed
In sweetness, (so runneth my rede,)
Or all things of perfume fair
Whether moist or dry they were.
For the sweetness his breath hath stored,
Whenever he walks abroad,
Wherever he wander, or stay,
The beasts, they draw near alway,
And follow him up on the wold
For the sweetness whereof I have told;
Save the Dragon, that stirs not out
While the Panther, he roams about,
But stays in his lair that stead
As if he for fright were dead.

@3Significatio@1

Now this beast of which I have told
For a token of Christ I hold,
Fairer is He than men,
As a star is fairer than fen;
And He showed man His love full well
When He won him by Holy spell,
And lay alone in a hole
When for us He would share Death's dole.
Three days did He lie alone,
Dead in blood, and in flesh, and bone,
Then He rose up, and cried, I wis,
Of Hell's torment, and Heaven's Bliss,
And rising to Heaven's fair host
Dwells with Father, and Holy Ghost.
With man left He so sweet a smell,
'T is the lore of His Holy Spell,
Whereby we may follow His way,
With the Godhead abide for aye.
And the Dragon, our foe is he;
Where the sound of God's word shall be
He stirs not, nor nigh may draw
To him who doth love God's law.

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