A Bestiary: The Dove

With the Dove we good customs find
That by us should be borne in mind,
Seven qualities good hath she
Which may well our ensample be.
The Dove hath in her no gall;
Be we simple and soft withal.
Nor her living as thief doth win;
Hold we robbery for a sin.
She lives not on worms but on seed;
On Christ's lore we all should feed.
To other birds is she a mother;
So ought we to be to each other.
As a moan and a groan her song;
So should we confess our wrong.
She in water the hawk doth see;
Warned in Book of the Fiend are we.
In the rock doth she make her nest;
In Christ's Mercy our hope should rest