The Unicorn Tapestries
Paragon of purity,
The elusive unicorn,
Brimming with allegory,
majestically dips his horn,
Gleaming white as fresh snow,
slender neck long reaching,
How am I to know,
what this needlework is teaching?
Healing horn gently placed in the pool,
redeeming with its magical touch,
Animals trusting this miracle in full,
gather round him, crowded overmuch,
An assembly as never seen before,
each animal with its own meaning,
But plants have even more,
than their first simple seeming,
Stag and rabbits lay with lion,
birds and panther live peacefully,
Orange tree means anti-poison,
in this silver and gilt tapestry,
Plants-weld, matter, and wode-
become dyes of yellow, red, and blue,
to create this enchanting abode,
and enhance every brilliant hue,
Wefts of silk and wool,
fashion this delightful fountain,
where creatures come to cool,
in the company of the Scion,
who knows naught of evil,
whose being is pure Love,
And all in the woods are perfectly still,
except the hunters closing in above,
Who steal onto the quiet scene,
betrayers who will find and hunt,
this legend from his rich green,
Cowardly stabbing from back not front,
The man in yellow-his weapon impales,
Thorny oak crowns the neck of this One,
Iris is Madonna and cloves are nails,
Carnation signifies Resurrection,
The unicorn is brought back dead,
A Savior who shall redeem,
Or a tamed groom to be led-
a faithful pet it would seem,
Matrimonial fence, yet love is a gold chain,
The herb bistort helps to conceive,
Pomegranate seeds are children to gain,
The hunt was by the lady's leave,
Interpret the saga as you will,
He will not be conquered by men,
The unicorn arises still,
if only to be captured by women,
Who knows of the love knot,
between the subtle letters A and E?
Where can the weaver be sought?
Are these initials of lovers or she?
The carefree unicorn becomes tame,
to the church or a young girl wed,
but his captivity isn't the same,
as in the first tapestry's thread,
Where by twelve he was surrounded,
and each hunter held a ready lance,
Still his tranquility and joy abounded,
and he never gave an upwards glance,
For this mystical creature was born,
to grace us wherever we might live,
And even those who seek his horn,
he is naturally inclined to forgive,
For his wonder is in his serenity,
though cloistered, hanging on a dark wall,
The true unicorn will yet remain free,
raining his blessings on us all.