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


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A BESTIARY: THE FOX, by                    
First Line: "a wild beast there is, I trow"
Last Line: Yet he purposed to slay our lord
Subject(s): Foxes


A WILD beast there is, I trow,
That knoweth of wiles enow,
For her cunning and craft, the fame,
Fox, do men call her name.
To the husbandman is she loth
For the harmful deeds she doth,
The cock and the capon good
She seizeth them both for food;
The gander and goose will take,
By neck or by beak fast make
And carry them off to her lair.
Thus men to her hatred bear,
And men alike, and fowl,
After her cry and howl.
Now hearken ye to a wonder
That this beast, she doth for hunger;
In the field to a furrow she'll go,
And therein she lieth low,
Where the plough thro' the earth did cleave,
Thus the birds would she fain deceive.
And she stirreth not in that stead,
But lieth as she were dead
For a good part of the day,
And scarce draweth breath alway.
The raven he sees, I wot,
Thinks a corse lieth there to rot,
And other birds come with speed
Thinking thereon to feed,
Safely, and without dread,
For they deem that the beast be dead.
On the Fox's fur they peck --
When she feeleth them on her back,
Then she leapeth up straightway
And swiftly doth them repay,
For these, the pecks of their beak,
She a vengeance ill doth wreak,
And teareth them all, I ween,
With her fangs so sharp and keen,
And when she hath eaten her fill
Then she goeth her way at will.

Significatio

Methinks that qualities twain
We find in this beast again,
Prudent and wise is she --
So the Devil and bad men be,
For subtle the Devil's way,
As he would in no wise betray,
Maketh feint he would harm us not,
Yet leads us to sin, I wot.
Bids us do of the Flesh the will,
And eat and drink our fill,
And in our amusement, there
He prepareth for us a snare.
He pecketh the Fox's fell
Who idle tales doth tell,
And his flesh he, I trow, doth rend
Who himself to sin doth lend;
And the Devil these pecks alway
Doth with shame and disgrace repay,
For his sinful work and deed
Into darkest Hell doth lead.
The Fiend like the Fox shall be,
Full of guile and deceit is he;
Men like to the Fox in name
Be worthy of naught but shame;
He who good words and fair doth find
But hath evil thoughts in mind,
Is both Fiend and Fox, I wis --
Nor the Book it doth lie in this,
For a false Fox Herod we know,
What time Christ on earth did go
He said he 'ld believe His word,
Yet he purposed to slay Our Lord.





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