Roland at Roncesvalles blew his tusk
That traced its descent from Hannibal’s elephants;
And by the Nile for Caesar’s lust,
Cleopatra embellished her elegance:
On her sleek withers’ carcanets encrust
Her slaves their salves, emollients, and musk.
And whose ears twitch to notice the flaws
Of dis- or honorable animal tethers?
Some alien sense of the sensuous severs
Expectancies and highlights the laws.
The girl on the balcony combs her feathers,
Crouches to coat her hide with lotion,
And paints red polish on her claws
As if a caress were a slashing motion.
Roncesvalles – (Pronounced RON-se-valz) A pass in the Pyrenees where, according to the medieval Chanson de Roland, Charlemagne’s nephew Roland blew his horn in warning just before dying in a battle with the Saracens in 778.
Hannibal’s elephants – In 218 in the wars between Rome and Carthage, Hannibal, a Carthaginian general, invaded Italy by crossing the Alps with a large force of cavalry and elephants.
Cleopatra – The Queen of Egypt (69-30 BC) was the lover of Julius Caesar and then of Augustus Caesar.
Withers – The base of the neck of a horse, the area between a horse’s shoulder blades.
Carcanet – (Pronounced KAR-ka-net) A necklace or collar, usually of gold or jeweled.
Musk – Although the ancient Egyptians used a variety of plant-based oils in their cosmetics and perfumes, there is no evidence that they used animal‑based ingredients such as musk, ambergris, or civet, according to British Egyptologist and analytic chemist, Alfred Lucas (1867‑1945).
Of dis- or honorable – Of dishonorable or honorable.