STILLBIRTH
Pregnant and overdressed
Lazily dozing o’er the riverbank pond
Autumn trees, fat with leaves caressed
By the frost , every frond
Ready to be borne out of sight
By the river’s waves aglow
Like Roman shields burnished bright
Facing their vanquished Sabine foe
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .
Note
Sabines were a people living near ancient Rome, and the Sabine women
were kidnapped en masse by Roman soldiers, to increase the population of Rome.
Bronzed
figures
entwining
together in
lust.
Ekphrasis on Rape of the Sabines by Giambologna
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