A lead-painted sky.
A lead-painted sun.
A lead-painted life.
Death came to the town
on a summer's day at noon
and now she lies by the river
ready to begin her journey
to the World of Gloom.
With a drachma on her lips,
she sets sail across the water
in an endless night of darkness
with no stars and without a moon.
Bodies with broken bones,
lipless jaws and eyeless skulls
float around on the water.
Visions rise before her eyes
of unhappy lifeless virgins,
of lovers once betrayed, and
of mothers and of children
who had passed away too soon.
At the marble gates
Cerberus weeps and wails
and the fearsome Lord waits
with offerings of fruit and water;
the child eats the fruit
she drinks the Lethe Water
and at last, she is laid to rest.
Part of the cycle of poems thirteen silk verses
A few words about the poem…
Journey to the Underworld: Exploring Myth and Mortality | The Cyprus Poems
The sombre verses of "The Underworld" poem, part of the series "Thirteen Silk Verses" in the collection "Cyprus Poems," unveil a land drenched in mystique and echoes of Greek mythology. Rooted in the depths of Greek legends it resonates with the myth of Persephone—a maiden drawn into the shadows by the inscrutable allure of Hades.
The love and loss poem unfolds against a backdrop painted with leaden hues—an evocative metaphor that casts an unsettling pall over the narrative. Within this melancholic palette, the poet conjures a scene where death emerges as an inescapable presence. The symbolism of the "lead-painted sky," "sun," and "life" conjures a land devoid of vibrancy, mirroring the descent into the realm of the departed.
Drawing parallels to the myth of Persephone, it delves into the passage to the World of Gloom. The young girl ferried by Charon, sets sail across the Styx, a journey embarked with a drachma on her lips—a poignant gesture resonant with ancient rites. This imagery conjures a vivid connection to the Greek tradition of providing the deceased with coins for the ferryman.
As they navigate the dark waters, the haunting imagery of broken bodies, lipless jaws, and eyeless skulls evokes the macabre landscape of the Underworld. Echoes of Persephone's journey resonate as visions of the dead arise —unhappy virgins, betrayed lovers, mothers, and children who passed on too soon—each a ghostly spectre intertwined with their tales of tragedy.
The poem culminates at the marble gates, guarded by the three-headed Cerberus—a portrayal that harks back to the mythological guardian. Here, the mysterious Lord waits, evoking the enigmatic Hades. The offerings of fruit and water by Hades to the girl add an air of authenticity to the mythological underpinning.
The final scenes, where the child consumes the fruit and drinks the Lethe Water—said to cause forgetfulness—tie a metaphoric knot between life and death, memory, and oblivion. In these moments, the poem captures the essence of the enigma where echoes of the past intertwine with the hushed secrets of the departed.
The death and grief poem “The Underworld” weaves together elements of Greek mythology and the Persephone legend to conjure a poem that resonates with the mysteries of the afterlife. Its leaden imagery, spectral figures, and poignant journey evoke the haunting essence of a realm where life and death intersect.
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