Hounded by your memory, and all your raging glory

[lizblackdog]

When you see this, post a poem in your journal.



The Lover Compareth Himself to The Painful Falconer

From "Handefull of Pleasant Delites" - 1584. Author unknown.

The soaring hawk from fist that flies,
Her falconer doth constrain
Sometimes to range the ground unknown,
To find her out again:
And if by sight, or sound of bell
His falcon he may see,
Wo ho! he cries, with cheerful voice,
The gladdest man is he.

By lure then in finest sort,
He seeks to bring her in;
But if that she full gorged be,
He cannot so her win,
Although with becks, and bending eyes
She many proffers makes,
Wo ho! he cries, away she flies,
And so her leave she takes.

This woeful man with weary limbs
Runs wand'ring round about;
At length by noise of chattering pies
His hawk again found out:
His heart was glad his eyes had seen
His falcon swift of flight,
Wo ho! he cries, she empty gorged
Upon his lure doth light.

How glad was then the falconer there,
No pen nor tongue can tell,
He swam in bliss, that lately felt
Like pains of cruel hell.
His hand sometimes upon her train,
Sometimes upon her breast,
Wo ho! he cries, with cheerful voice,
His heart was now at rest.

My dear, likewise behold thy love
What pains he doth endure,
And now at length let pity move
To stoop unto his lure.
A hood of silk and silver bells,
New gifts I promise thee,
Wo ho! I cry, I come, then say,
Make me as glad as he.


***


The Falcon to the Falconer

Jonathan Steffen

Unleash me from your hand
And I will lance the light for you;
I’ll cut a sword-blade on the wind
And pennant it with flight for you
To signal I am yours
If you will free me to be true to you.

Unleash me from your hand
And I will mock the sky for you;
I’ll pull the anger from the air
And make the breezes sigh for you
To show that I am yours
If you will free me to be true to you.

Unleash me from your hand
And I will jewel it bright for you;
I’ll hunt the treasures of the wind
And pluck them into sight for you
To show that I am yours
If you will free me to be true to you.

O, cast me from your hand
That I may show my love for you,
And throw me to the wind
That I may know my need for you;

All darkness on your hand
I’m hooded, pinned and held by you;
O, give me back my wings
That they may bring me back to you.