Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, A BESTIARY: THE EAGLE, by ANONYMOUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A BESTIARY: THE EAGLE, by                    
First Line: Of the eagle I'll speak this stead
Last Line: Thro' god's grace alway
Subject(s): Birds;eagles


OF the Eagle I'll speak this stead,
As in book I his ways have read,
How he casts old age away,
And reneweth his youth that day:
When he feels of his limbs the weight,
And his beak, it is none too straight,
And weak hath become his flight,
And dimmed of his eyes the sight,
Thus doth he renew his might.
He seeks a well flowing aye,
That springeth by night and day,
Thereover doth upward fly,
Till he seeth the heaven high;
Thro' the skies both six and seven,
Till he cometh unto the heaven,
And his way so high hath won
That he cometh e'en to the sun,
And the heat doth stay his flight,
His eyes maketh once more bright.
Scorched are his feathers all,
And downward he needs must fall,
E'en to the well's deep ground,
Where he waxeth both whole and sound,
And cometh forth all anew,
Save his beak, which is yet untrue.
Tho' his limbs, they be waxen strong,
If his beak, it be twisted wrong,
Then may he not find him food
That doeth him any good.
Therewith doth he seek a stone,
And pecketh full hard thereon,
Pecks, till his beak once more
To its right shape he doth restore,
Sithen, with a straightened bill
Doth he get him meat at his will.

Significatio

Like an Eagle be ye men,
Listen now to me,
Old in sin ye've waxen then
Ere ye Christian be;
Thus is he renewed, each man,
When he goes to kirk,
Ere that think thereof he can
These, his eyes, be mirk.
There he Satan must forsake,
And each sinful deed,
And to Jesu Christ betake,
He shall be his meed.
Doth on Jesus Christ believe,
Priestly lore doth learn,
So the mist his eyes shall leave,
Ere he thence shall turn.
All his hope to God doth run,
Learns His Love so true,
This, I trow, shall be the Sun
Gives him light anew!
Naked, falls he to the font,
There renewed is he,
But a little doth he want,
That I'll tell to ye;
All untutored yet his mouth,
Paternoster, Creed,
Fare he North, or fare he South,
He to know doth need.
Teach his mouth in humble mood
God to praise and pray,
Thus to win his soul's true food
Thro' God's Grace alway.





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