Saxon Buckle

in the Sutton Hoo treasure

His inlaid gold hoards light:

A gleaming thicket to expel,

With intricacy worked by skill,

The encroaching forest night

Where monsters and his fear dwell.

Gold forest tangles twined by will

Become a knot that closes in

The wild beasts that begin

Beyond his habitation.

An object for his contemplation,

From which three rivets gaze:

A beast’s head forested within,

That clasps his swordbelt to his waist

By daylight, and before his eyes,

By hearthlight, stills unrest.