His name was Father Valentine, a Roman Catholic priest,
Beheaded on the day before the Lupercalia feast,
An annual event in Rome held always on that date
Where men pulled maidens' names from jars and took them for their mate.

The feast was just a small excuse for wild debauchery
As drunken soldiers stripped the maids of their virginity....
A week-long orgiastic setting where all lust was fed -
The Roman agriculture god was used as figurehead.

The emporer decreed no military man be wed
For fear they would not fight but stay with family instead
But Valentine performed the vows in silent secrecy
And, for this act, he was condemned - accused of treachery.

While interred in that prison Valentine began to feel
Love for the jailer's daughter, who brought him the evening meal.
The day he died he wrote her notes and, under each last line,
He finished with these simple three words.."from your Valentine".

He was later given sainthood...became the symbol for the day
That's come to stand for love that we still celebrate today
So, every time you send a card, reflect before you sign
On that young priest who first used those words "from your Valentine".