The Discovery

"A unicorn!" they cried, "A unicorn!" And all came running. Noble and austere, He took their stare, their curious gaze, and morning Ran through their veins like cooler fire, like air All green with earliness. No purer white Ever in any snow by moonlight shone, An absolute and incandescent brightness From hoof to horn. A thousand flowers were fire Around him where he halted, flesh and bone, Survivor of the cast of any spear.

Forsaking all the ardor of the hunt, They were content with watching him. He stood Below the red and golden fruit, confronting Their stir, their daze, with majesty. The shade Was light, subdued, and there was music here Like bloom, or light, or running stream of sound Moving the darker leaves beyond the clearing. Mild as the air they breathed, their quietude Reflecting his, benign, at ease, they found Themselves, and they were happy. This was good.