The Endless Knot, by Yvonne Aburrow
By the white chalk crumbling into the sea
And the bony feet of the giant Albion
Stands a green mound with an eyeless tower
Where the head of Gawain watches over the door
For the dead who seek entry into the North.
Gules, a pentangle or: the Endless Knot
The body of Christ and his five wounds
The red blood shed on the thirsty earth
When the Moon covered the Sun at noon
And the world's heart opened: a bloody rose.
Blue the vault of heaven and the Virgin's robe
And her image upon the shield of Gawain
In honour of her five joys, springing forth
From her sacred waters, where the inner Sun
Lights the dim paths of the underworld.
An endless knot of yellow gold
With every point linked unto each:
Five fingers, each endowed with power;
Five senses, to guard the realm of Albion,
Five virtues to mirror the hero divine.
Not a golden ring but a girdle green
Was the gift of the Lady to Gawain
And three kisses to test his chivalry
While the hunt was joined in the wild green wood
And the chamber was prepared for love.