|
Phoebe Cleomenes, Athens
-
 You are the air I breathe
The very blood in my veins
My heart is full of your kindness
Kiss me in the morning
It’s memory is with me all the day
Until I can rest within your arms
I am your immortal
Inamorata
 Caileadair Etana, Babylon
-
and I roll
with the curves
here, there
watching myself
ride the wheel
of never-ending cycles
beautiful, searingly so
burn me to ashes
lift me up into the
maelstrom of the world winds
ah....what do I become?
grace one moment
despair the next
the observer looks
closely in the mirror
an eye winking back
is that the Divine I see?
a mere whisp of a dream?
or the Self that resides deep?
It is come
unto me in an instant
and words echo faintly
a reality beyond words
what need of such
in a place of perfection?
one curve I rode
to its fulfillment,
only to discern in the
distance the next curve
so...
turn and turn
stringing joy and pain
in my wake
turbulence and calm
looking behind
seeing my creations
knowing their meanings,
and smiling serene
in acceptance
of the never-ending cycles.
~Cail
(c) 8/28/03
-
Kyleah
Cumhaill, Celtia
 If I
could possess you
hold you tight
inside my heart
forever,
I would do it.
I would construct
a golden cage
within my chest
and lock you deep inside,
to keep you safe.
And the world
would never hurt you,
never taunt you,
never stare.
The world would never
see that you are
different,
special,
chosen,
broken.
I would keep you
forever
safe and warm
inside my heart;
where none would
know you
but God himself
St. Michael Aedui,
Celtia
Who is it you think to be
Even your oath now falls upon these cold ears ...
so many years now
Your sight doest burns its way
and yet you leave me basking and soot
You see this touch, a cold grappled unannounced,
was it best left forgotten and held aloft?
For a perhaps, maybe someday?
Nay!! Thou art my fool's trueseer
Lessons a welcome, as bitter as sweet
For you this game is now over, mine last
zero-sum.
AEschylus
Gods of the ancient cradle of my race,
Hear me, just gods! With righteous grace
On me, on me look down!
Grant not to youth its heart's unchaste desire,
But, swiftly spurning lust's unholy fire,
Bless only love and willing wedlock's crown
The war-worn fliers from the battle's wrack
Find refuge at the hallowed altar-side,
The sanctuary divine,--
Ye gods! such refuge unto me provide--
Such sanctuary be mine!
Though the deep will of Zeus be hard to track,
Yet doth it flame and glance,
A beacon in the dark, 'mid clouds of chance
That wrap mankind
Yea, though the counsel fall, undone it shall not be,
Whate'er be shaped and fixed within Zeus' ruling mind--
Dark as a solemn grove, with sombre leafage shaded,
His paths of purpose wind,
A marvel to man's eye
Smitten by him, from towering hopes
degraded,
Mortals lie low and still
Tireless and effortless, works forth its will
The arm divine!
God from His holy seat, in calm of unarmed power,
Brings forth the deed, at its appointed hour!
Let Him look down on mortal wantonness!
Lo! how the youthful stock of Belus' line
Craves for me, uncontrolled--
With greed and madness bold--
Urged on by passion's sunless stress--
And, cheated, learns too late the prey has 'scaped
their hold!
Ah, listen, listen to my grievous tale,
My sorrow's words, my shrill and tearful cries!
Ah woe, ah woe!
Loud with lament the accents use,
And from my living lips my own sad dirges flow!
O Apian land of hill and dale,
Thou kennest yet, O land, this faltered foreign wail--
Have mercy, hear my prayer!
Lo, how again, again, I rend and tear
My woven raiment, and from off my hair
Cast the Sidonian veil!
Ah, but if fortune smile, if death be driven
away,
Vowed rites, with eager haste, we to the gods will pay!
Alas, alas again!
O wither drift the waves? and who shall loose the
pain?
http://www.gutenberg.net/etext05/8aesp10.txt
Herodotus
Macaulay, Thomas Babington
Macaulay, Baron, 1800-1859, Translator
The Egyptians in agreement with their
climate, which is unlike any other, and with the river, which
shows a nature different from all other rivers, established
for themselves manners and customs in a way opposite to other
men in almost all matters: for among them the women frequent
the market and carry on trade, while the men remain at home
and weave; and whereas others weave pushing the woof upwards,
the Egyptians push it downwards: the men carry their burdens
upon their heads and the women upon their shoulders: the
women make water standing up and the men crouching down: they
ease themselves in their houses and they eat without in the
streets, alleging as reason for this that it is right to do
secretly the things that are unseemly though necessary, but
those which are not unseemly, in public: no woman is a
minister either of male or female divinity, but men of all,
both male and female: to support their parents the sons are
in no way compelled, if they do not desire to do so, but the
daughters are forced to do so, be they never so
unwilling.
The priests of the gods in other lands wear
long hair, but in Egypt they shave their heads: among other
men the custom is that in mourning those whom the matter
concerns most nearly have their hair cut short, but the
Egyptians, when deaths occur, let their hair grow long, both
that on the head and that on the chin, having before been
close shaven: other men have their daily living separated
from beasts, but the Egyptians have theirs together with
beasts: other men live on wheat and on barley, but to any one
of the Egyptians who makes his living on these it is a great
reproach; they make their bread of maize, which some call
spelt: they knead dough with their feet and clay with their
hands, with which also they gather up dung: and whereas other
men, except such as have learnt otherwise from the Egyptians,
have their members as nature made them, the Egyptians
practice circumcision: as to garments, the men wear two each
and the women but one: and whereas others make fast the rings
and ropes of the sails outside the ship, the Egyptians do
this inside: finally in the writing of characters and
reckoning with pebbles, while the Hellenes carry the hand
from the left to the right, the Egyptians do this from the
right to the left; and doing so they say that they do it
themselves rightwise and the Hellenes leftwise: and they use
two kinds of characters for writing, of which the one kind is
called sacred and the other common.
Herodotus: The Project Gutenberg
Etext
http://www.gutenberg.net/browse/BIBREC/BR2131.HTM
http://www.gutenberg.net/etext00/agypt10.txt
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
Long, George, 1800-1879, Translator
Extract: It is true that all people have
some notion of what is meant by justice as a disposition of
the mind, and some notion about acting in conformity to this
disposition; but experience shows that men's notions about
justice are as confused as their actions are inconsistent
with the true notion of justice.
The emperor's notion of justice is clear
enough, but not practical enough for all
mankind.
"Let there be freedom from perturbations
with respect to the things which come from the external
cause; and let there be justice in the things done by virtue
of the internal cause, that is, let there be movement and
action terminating in this, in social acts, for this is
according to thy nature" (IX. 31).
In another place (IX. 1) he says that "he
who acts unjustly acts impiously," which follows of course
from all that he says in various places. He insists on the
practice of truth as a virtue and as a means to virtue, which
no doubt it is: for lying even in indifferent things weakens
the understanding; and lying maliciously is as great a moral
offence as a man can be guilty of, viewed both as showing an
habitual disposition, and viewed with respect to
consequences. He couples the notion of justice with
action.
A man must not pride himself on having some
fine notion of justice in his head, but he must exhibit his
justice in act.
http://www.gutenberg.net/etext04/tmrcr10.txt
|
BELOVED
Phoebe
Cleomenes,
Athens
TURNINGS
Caileadair
Etana, Babylon
POSSESSION
Kyleah
Cumhaill, Celtia
Till Summer Moved On
St. Michael Aedui, Celtia
Suppliant
Maidens and Other Plays
AEschylus
An Account of Egypt
Herodotus
Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
|
