Long Greece Poems
Long Greece Poems. Below are the most popular long Greece by PoetrySoup Members. You can search for long Greece poems by poem length and keyword.
Helen, Troyless
by Michael R. Burch
"The face that launched a thousand ships..."
Helen, bright accompaniment,
accouterment of war as sure as all
the polished swords of princes groomed to lie
in mausoleums all eternity...
The price of love is not so high
as never to have loved once in the dark
beyond foreseeing. Now, as dawn gleams pale
upon small wind-fanned waves, amid white sails, ...
now all that war entails becomes as small,
as though receding. Paris in your arms
was never yours, nor were you his at all.
And should gods call
in numberless strange voices, should you hear,
still what would be the difference? Men must die
to be remembered. Fame, the shrillest cry,
leaves all the world dismembered.
Hold him, lie,
tell many pleasant tales of lips and thighs;
enthrall him with your sweetness, till the pall
and ash lie cold upon him.
Is this all? You saw fear in his eyes, and now they dim
with fear's remembrance. Love, the fiercest cry,
becomes gasped sighs in his once-gallant hymn
of dreamed "salvation." Still, you do not care
because you have this moment, and no man
can touch you as he can... and when he's gone
there will be other men to look upon
your beauty, and have done.
Smile?woebegone, pale, haggard. Will the tales
paint this?your final portrait? Can the stars
find any strange alignments, Zodiacs,
to spell, or unspell, what held beauty lacks?
Published by The Raintown Review, Triplopia, The Electic Muse, The Chained Muse, The Pennsylvania Review, and in a YouTube recital by David B. Gosselin
Keywords/Tags: Helen, Troy, Paris, myth, mythology, beauty, love, war, gods, fate, destiny, portrait, fame, famous, stars, Zodiac, Zodiacs, star-crossed, spell, charm, potion, enchantment, loss, Greece, Greek, mythology, legend, Homer, Odyssey, accompaniment, accouterment, eternal, eternity, immortal, immortality, women, soulmate
'Twas two old men from Greece, is said;
Who sold two bottles of potion.
One was logic, pure and simple-
The other was pure emotion.
What bitter rivals they were
Both persuasive in their way,
Each believed his potion best-
The battle would often sway:
"Mine is more refined,
And truth the only good;
While mine can be explained,
Emotion never could."
To which the other replied:
"Not everyone's a scholar,
Not everyone is golden.
When men do not understand,
They simply do not listen."
"Truth is not the only good,
And be my end as just-
To arouse and quell emotion,
Is an effective leader's must."
To which the other replied:
"But what of the damage done
By the hands of one unjust?
Manipulating men like beasts,
And trained by you, I trust?"
"Men must learn to reason;
To know the truth of things,
To think only rationally,
To envision the good it brings."
To which the other replied:
"Life without emotion
Is a sorry end, indeed!
A tasteless life of logic
Would surely end our breed."
"Emotion may not rule you,
If logic be your boast.
Yet, to taste the taste of life-
Emotion is your host."
The two old men from Greece, is said;
Had soonafter passed away.
Neither had conquered the other-
Both potions were here to stay.
'Twas a second generation pupil,
Of the logician I might note;
Drew swallows from both potions,
And this is what he wrote;
"Logic pure and simple
Is good for you, 'tis true.
Yet, this one has no taste;
'Tis hard to swallow, too."
"The other, pure emotion,
Is pleasing to the taste;
And I cannot explain why-
I downed it in such haste."
The pupil then concluded,
"Neither one should stand alone."
He proceeded with a mixture
Of thoughts he wanted shown.
"Three parts of the logic,
To one of emotion.
For logic is the greater good-
Emotion is the motion."
He tasted from his potion,
A taste both common and good.
As emotion related to reason,
The logic was understood.
His potion stands the test of time,
Only fools put down his bottle,
Thoughts are better balanced-
When you drink from Aristotle.
To the honest police officers who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The city sleeps light under a copper moon,
''The law is a tyrant'', his internal tune,
He runs the dark streets in the heat of the
noon.
Chasing the shadow,a ghost in the swoon,
''No man is free who is a slave to his passion,''
He runs the dark streets in the heat of the
noon
His chief is a pharaoh of the modern saloon,
His superior'wealth a golden,slick fashion,
''The law is a tyrant,'' his internal tune.
''A fish rots first from the head'', a grim boon,
The corruption a cancer in every transaction,
He runs the dark streets in the heat of the
noon.
He keeps his small oath, an ancient
monsoon,
A warrior of conscience, a silent reaction,
'' The law is a tyrant'', his internal tune.
A single just man in a world of lagoon,
He is the thin blue line in a sick,broken
nation,
He runs the dark streets in the heat of the
noon,
''The law is a tyrant,'' his internal tune.
1. The law is a tyrant-aphorism from ancient
Greek law and philosophy
2. ''No man is free who is a slave to his passion''-
A maxim from the philosopher Pythagoras of ancient Greece
3. '' A fish rots first from the head.''-A proverb/maxim with ancient
roots in various cultures,including Chinese and Italian.
Figure of a man, constantly open
Poetry marriage that makes him richer
Her heart and beauty a gift so golden
Separate it would change, die, and wither
Friendship woven his unfailing embrace
Knowing not about him; external blessed
Through unassuming nature God gives grace
Gratitude words spoken his life expressed
Love of the tall pine and Mckinley beach
Journey hand in hand through umber forest
Embracing warm home, changed eyes within reach
Captive to lucid euphoric promise
Blessed interest with family and friends
Personal journey of faith God ascends
11/8/2016
Insert from ; "DUMMY - Hurtful & Healing Words"
by; Richard lamoureux
http://www.wisedummypoet.com
Richard lamoureux
Richard
Husband, son, father, friend
Mary's sweetie, Matthew's dad, Edith's son, brother to Teresa and Roy
Lover of family, friends and time alone
Who feels passion, joy and doubt
Who fears rejection, being forgotten and failure
Who would like to see Paris, Greece and the face of my Savior
Resident of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
Lamoureux
Richard
Proud, deceitful, lustful, liar
holder of grudges, occupier of dark thoughts
Competitive to a fault, craver of things material
Temptations target
Who feels torn in two
Who fears his darker instincts
Resident and member of humanity
Lamoureux
Sacred Love
She sat wailing eyeing the unattended grave
Taciturn sky lugubriously empathize with a tormented soul
Relics of joy the hungry heart infinitely crave
Fears diminish as tears submerged an unquenchable ghoul
Kneeling and pounded by hard jagged stones
Her resolve inundate fate reflecting tidal wave approaching
Laid upon bedrock repose his withered bones
In a dying ember born is the essence of sacred love arising
Penned: 09/13/2016
9:53 a.m.
Aboard cruise liner "Vision of the Seas"
on the way to Athens, Greece
Though she isn’t just a butterfly
She’s been a monarch of the sky
Wings, so gentle, often impress
Like love from above, she does bless
Like the ruler she’s always stood
Lovely and kind, reigning with good
She knows affection won’t repress
Like love from above, she does bless
Matriarch of hope, joy and peace
Just like the queen of scenic Greece
Her duties, much, I must confess
Like love from above, she does bless
Sovereign and sure, she is a light
Shining like the sun, kind and bright
Friendship is found in her caress
Like love from above, she does bless
Empress of her time, filled with grace
Sincere, her promise an embrace
She is known for her faithfulness
Like love from above, she does bless
Ages there are in which the ration'l man
And th'intuitive stand side by side, the one
In fear of intuition, or scorn for abstraction;
Irrational one, the other inartistic.
They both desire to rule over their life,
Unreal or real, counting life to be.
Prudence, foresight and regularity,
The means with which one meets needs principal.
One o'erjoyed hero disregards these needs,
Counts life as beauty and an illusion.
As in the 'case in ancient Greece, th'intuitive,
Handles his weapons authoritatively,
Victoriously than his opponent, and
Establishes art's mastery over life.
All utensils we use in daily life,
Were made from art, not from our pressing needs.
Houses, our clothes, our clay jugs, all them were
Intended to express exalted joy.
Guided by abstractions and concepts, we
Succeeds in warding off our misfortunes,
Without ever gaining any happiness;
So that's the case the ration'l man's life is.
Th'intuitive man, aim freedom from his pain,
Standing a-firm amidst his culture's frame,
Reaps cheer, illumination and redemption.
Defense against misfortunes, he obtains.
I was once advised to read Nietzsche's 'On Truth And Lies In A Non-moral Sense.'I do not read Nietzsche; I sing it. I sing 'On Truth And Lies In A Non-moral Sense' this way. I am sad to observe that Nietzsche did not write it this way but in his eloquent flowing prose. Unfortunately, when I look at such prose and skim content, lines appear this way to me.
A Poem By P.S.Remesh Chandran. Editor, Sahyadri Books & Bloom Books. Trivandrum.
Read more about our views on poetry and about our various poetry editorial services, kindly visit http://poetryeditservice.blogspot.in/
Many years ago,
Before yours or my time,
When the only way to
Travel to and fro
Was not with automobiles,
Or cars or trains,
Or even planes.
But with a horse or a donkey.
This happened in the villages
In Greece, donkeys were a
Cheap mode of transport,
But stubbornly would sit
On their paunches and snarl
Showing yellow teeth,
There was no way,
The donkey would budge
Another step, on that day
The aristocracy from
Athens With horses,
And their breeches and braces,
Made fun of the peasants
And donkeys, what monkeys!
But one Athenian
Stopped by the old
Man with his donkey
The poor donkey was saddled,
With so much,
His walking was wonky!
Hey my friend,
Said the city man,
To the old peasant
Would you sell me
A pheasant,
And your donkey
Would he carry the same
load for me?
Of course he would but
There is one thing you should know
He don’t look so good!
Said the honest old man!
But the buyer ignored this
And put a bridle
On the poor animal, and
Tied him with rope to his saddle!
A week passed, and there
Suddenly appeared the Athenian
Who had bought the donkey.
Hey mister he said,
Did you know your donkey was blind,
Yes, but told you,
It was you who misunderstood
“He don’t look so good!’
My mind is euphoric from scenes historic
Assyrian chariots innovative wheels bristling Mesopotamian plains
Paring the ranks of each, dated infantry formation
In Greece, anesthetizing anvil of the Dorian invasion
Glorious bronze relics supplanted by cheaper iron distillation
Persian armies: Greek hoplites, Scythian archers; mercenary aggrandization
Shrinking rebel hordes in Asia Minor's wars of attrition
The venal nature of imperial Rome's persuasion
Crucifying a few, targeted rebels for cultural ingratiation
Devout, gentile Europeans crusading to Biblical heritage's door
Defacing cross with predations in route, arriving uplifting banner 'gainst infidel Moor
Normans in hordes splashing across the chilly, English channel tides
Under William the Conqueror's mantra, bridging the Anglo-Saxon divide
Fear the times, my friend,
When people die of a horrible disease
And the rest, the healthy ones,
The young ones,
Are dancing in the streets
As though celebrating:
The agony
The suffering, and
The dying
Of
Their fellow men
Without
Respecting anyone's grief
And
Without caring for anybody else but
Themselves.
Fear, these times, my friend,
For
These are the times that
God, our Lord, would show His wrath to
The rest of the world
Because
His holy command, to love one another,
Has been disobeyed in the most
Unholy way!*
© Demetrios Trifiatis
20 April 2021
*While thousands of people worldwide die every day because of COVID-19 under terrible conditions and alone, hundreds of thousands of young and not so young are dancing and celebrating in the streets. This happens in Greece as it happens in many countries around the world, without these people to think of the consequences of their actions!
Is that compassion? Is that love? Is that humanity?
P.S. I have lost five relatives and close friends to Coronavirus within the period of a month. RIP.