¡Oh goddess of love and beauty!
and of all feminine attributes;
born of the foam of the sea
that kisses the coastline of Cytherea.
Happy island, the Hours welcomed you
and in their diaphanous car they took you
towards Olympus the dwelling of the gods
where you left everyone speechless.
And there the laughter, the Graces and the games
were your companions, your courtship;
wearing a diadem of myrtle and roses
and doves and swans as escorts.
A girdle made it even more attractive
your sexy figure in her charms
with the force that in male–gods
you exercised in youthful power.
Jupiter the father to them all,
advised by the jealous Hera
—"mulier muliere lupa"— arranged your compromise
to the ugliest of all around, Vulcan.
An unpresentable misshapen dwarf
all dirty from soot from the smithy
where he forged the weapons to the gods;
a funny couple you made by all accounts.
It didn't take long for others to comfort you,
among them Ares, let's say the "alpha male"
of that court of gods and heroes;
the prototype of testosterone.
Opposite poles you represented fully
the Yin and Yang contraries in fight
the feminine and masculine extremes;
and Sparks flew (from Hephaistos's anvil).
Tired already a little bit of fighting
you somewhat fickle noticed by chance
a well-endowed young man from Arabia:
the passionate hunter named Adonis.
So when living in an intense romance
the jealousy of the warrior awoke
—for violent Ares horns did not consent—
and plotted a revenge which is described
in three sonnets that the story relates.
...
Here now goes "THREE SONNETS TO ADONIS"
...
Serve a stanza to summarize the facts:
"All without missing a year Aphrodite arrives
to the harmful place where her lover died,
mortal wounded by Ares that was cause
of the wild boar of jealousy that thus reaped the rose” .
After his death —or rather murder—
the dea using her olympic influence
made him be like a god up in the skies;
his worship not included sacrifices
thus avoiding such bloody bad memories;
only incense and delicate perfumes.
Cry now with Venus in justice for a thing
that Adonis symbolizes as archetype:
lose youth when you bid the most;
although never worn away by time
as that the old adage here applies:
"he who the gods (or goddess) love dies young."
© albertotrocóniz / 14
Text: from “RITES, MYTHS, SYMBOLS”
Image: “Aphrodite between Mirths and Doves”
from “DRAWING & PAINTING”
Other related “Blog” “Posts”
on the Board “POEMS OF MYTH”