#72
Expect a grimace of mercy from a saint,
When he thrusts a spear into a dragon's jaw.
The beast won't easily die; he'll cringe and feint
(Unlike the knight, he knows only natural law,
Which teaches treachery and ruthlessness),
And try to take the horse down before the rider.
Both are images of murderous righteousness,
Doomed, the dying serpent and the future martyr,
With only a hammered and honed sliver of iron
Hovering between the dragon and the paragon.
The villagers offered the princess as a sacrifice.
To double his armor the wise knight prayed,
Or was it to erase the vision of her perfect face?
It isn't clear, who is slayer and who is slayed.
