John Ruskin: The Zodiac Song (1865/1903)

2024 December 04
Ricks, Christoper, ed. The New Oxford Book of Victorian Verse.
Oxford UP. 2008. Print. p. 185.
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.

This isn't the most world-shaking zodiacal imagery, but I liked the poem and to some degree it appears to be influenced by astrological knowledge. It's obviously more focused on seasonal imagery, but I think that is a strength, and something worth keeping in mind.

I just wanted to get this out on the net really. It's available here, but that version doesn't even try to format the poem. I've used a simple table here to recreate the way it's formatted originally. It would have looked better if I'd just used the table honestly, but I've left the spacing ellipses just as they are in my copy.