the zodiac song

T683 Signs of the Zodiac, from the "Portolan Atlas of the World", by Battista Agnese of Venice, c.1540
Anonymous


The Zodiac Song
John Ruskin

1. Aries (sings)
Horn for weapon, and wool for shield,
Windy weather and lambs afield.

2. Taurus
Head in the sunshine, hoof in the hay,
Toss the last of the clouds away.

3. Gemini
Double in leaf and double in light,
Flowers by day, and stars by night.

4. Cancer
Cancer, Cancer, crooked and black,
Answer us, answer us–Forward or back?

5. Leo
Fierce at eve, at morning tame,
Crest of cloud, and claws of flame.

6. Virgo
Sickle in hand, and sandal on feet,
Crowned with poppy, and swathed with wheat.

7. Libra
Libra, Libra, truth is treasure,
Fair the weight and full the measure.

8. Scorpio
Sharp the sting, but grand the grief,
Shivering bough, and burning leaf.

9. Sagittarius
Numb the finger: narrow the mark,
Frost on the feather, and flight in the dark.

10. Capricorn
Capricorn, Capricorn,
Cowardly heart, and crumpled horn.

11. Aquarius
Snow to flicker, or rain to fall,
Down with thy pitcher, and out with it all.

12. Pisces
Fish, little fish, lying head to tail,
Daisies round the dish and a pearl on every scale.