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



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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

A BESTIARY: THE HART, by                    
First Line: "the hart, it hath customs twain"
Last Line: "mickle need, I trow, have we / to obey his will"
Subject(s): Deer


THE Hart, it hath customs twain
From which we ensamples gain;
Thus we read in the book withal
That men Physiology call.
He doth drag the Adder from stone,
With his nose pulls it up anon,
From stone, or from stock also
When thereunder it fain would go.
Swift doth he swallow the Worm,
Thereafter he sore doth burn,
For the poisonous thing that tide
To heat doth it turn inside.
Then with cunning, he fareth fleet
Where floweth the water sweet,
And he drinketh it at his will
Till thereof he hath ta'en his fill,
And the venom hath no more power
To harm him, from that same hour.
But then doth he cast his horn,
Either in thicket or thorn,
Thus the wild Deer renews his youth
So have I learned for truth.

Significatio

Thus men, they the poison draw
From our elders, who brake the Law,
Thro' the Serpent, thereby Mankind
Have envy and strife in mind,
Be lustful, and covetous,
Lascivious and gluttonous,
And haughty, and proud in mien --
This is the poison I mean.
Full oft do we burn in mood,
And fare as if we were wood,
And whenever we thus do burn
It behoveth us swift to turn
And haste to Christ's living well,
That we may not go to Hell.
If His Teaching, we drink it in,
It will quench in our heart each sin.
Let us cast away pride that stead,
As the Hart his horns doth shed,
And to God-ward renew us thus
That Salvation be sure for us.

A practice have hart and hind,
That we all ought to bear in mind;
They be all of the self-same mood, --
If they go forth in search of food
And over the water fare
None leaveth his comrade there,
But one, he in front doth swim,
And the others, they all follow him,
Whether he swim or wade --
At need each the other doth aid,
The one doth his shinbone lay
On the other's loin alway;
If he who the train doth lead
For weariness slacks his speed,
The others, they come anear,
And help him to take good cheer,
Bear him, from watery ground,
To the shore, all hale and sound,
Thus aid in his need he found.
This custom is mid'st them seen
Tho' a hundred in herd they've been.

Significatio

From the Hart this lesson we win
Ne'er to help another to sin,
But each one to love the other
E'en as he were his brother;
With his friend to steadfast fare
And his burthen with him to share,
And help him, in case of need,
For this, God, He giveth meed.
Heaven's Kingdom we sure shall see
If to others we helpful be.
Thus Our Dear Lord's law should we
Lovingly fulfil,
Mickle need, I trow, have we
To obey His Will.





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