The Unicorn and the White Doe
Unicorn with bursting heart
Breath of love has drawn:
On his desolate crags apart,
At rumor of dawn,
Has blared aloud his pride
This long age mute,
Lurched his horn from side to side,
Lunged with his foot.
Like a storm of sand I run
Breaking the desert's boundaries,
I go in hiding from the sun
In thick shade of trees.
Straight was the track I took
Across the plains, but here with briar
And mire the tangled alleys crook,
Baulking desire.
O there, what glinted white?
(A bough still shakes.)
What was it darted from my sight
Through the forest brakes?
Where are you fled from me?
I pursue, you fade;
I run, you hide from me ,
In the dark glade.
Towering high the trees grow,
The grass grows thick.
Where you are I do not know,
You run so quick.
Written by: Robert Graves
Song of the Stag
There was a proud and noble stag in Shadow Wood was born
And there he grew and there he met and loved a unicorn
He served her long he served her well he served in whole and part
Until one night in Shadow Grove he told her all his heart
She did not mock she did not laugh but softly told him nay
He did not grieve but chose to leave and plotted to betray
He sought out then King Paris’s men his words were cold and blunt
Oh century hosts, desert your posts I offer you a hunt
King Paris’s men were duty bound to guard the wood from fear
The king in pride set sword aside to bargain with the deer
There is no hunt for me said he of any creature born
Unless I could in Shadow Wood hunt down the unicorn
None knows so well where she may dwell as I who did her will
If you will head then I will lead and you may have your kill
But one lone guard forewarned the king this hunt is evil starred
For those with arms and evil charms against whom we must guard
No more will wait with eyes of hate and souls and hearts of gall
But purge the wood of light and good and gods forgive us all
Still Paris boasts step down my hosts and hear the hunting horn
Let men invade both wood and glade we hunt the unicorn
The stag led on from night to dawn from sunrise into morn
And in the shade of Shadow Glade betrayed the unicorn
She spoke to him her voice was grim what have you done for pride
You know and see your destiny and yet you turn aside
You would betray me to my death and quite forsake your vow
Then service lent without consent is all you do me now
She touched him once she touched him twice and three times with her horn
And there he fell and where he fell he rose a unicorn
The guards have fled their trusting land all undefended lies
And through the wood invaders ride with darkness in their eyes
Without alarms they practice charms that drive away the light
And Shadow into Darken Wood is made that evil night
And afterward with sword and spear and horse and horn and hound
They hunted down King Paris’s men and ran them all to ground
The king was slain his body lain among his dying men
But they were told ere they were cold to rise and hunt again
For every wraith who breaks his faith must wander without cease
And cold preform what he did warm and never rest in peace
So every night the stag betrays the love he could not keep
And king and host desert their post to hunt and never sleep
And so they shall betray and hunt until the day they show
That they somehow fulfilled the vow they broke so very long ago
The shadows in the woods are plain and mingle now with light
They flow and play with sun by day and dance with moon by night
From Darken Wood has Shadow Wood been granted its release
Those who were killed in vows fulfilled have there been granted peace
 |
 |
Realms Of Fantasy Site Map
 |
 |
|
|