ELIA
Zeus
Cloud-gatherer they call me.
King of the mountain, lightning bolt to the glory.
Thunder, Thunder,
rain to shower the whole world with my might,
their need.
Let’s draw up the world, three ways – brothers and I.
We’ll show them who is kyrios.
And what of Mêtis – Wisdom – no, swallow her whole,
no evidence. I never heard of her who helped me.
It was I, king of the mountain, who shackled
those barbarians, Titans of the deep.
And who is Patêr? Not Promêtheus
with his kindling fingers.
I, this legend of order and law. Yes, basileus
of the mountain and his solemn men.
Persephoneia, what of her? she has her honour -
betrothed to lord underworld. It was a gift for them both.
Hêra
Defiler of goddesses and women, I call you.
what of your reigning hunger?
Dispelling fizzling bolts in your squirm for prayers.
There was no mature dark-bearded man
when I met you. Only cloaking self-
glory, a courteous veil for the pale bridegroom.
I heard tales of you. Hêrôs. Liberator. Protector.
Never of Mêtis, first wife. Wisdom.
You tore Athênê from her, daughter -
named her motherless.
Primed her for your feet - spear of the king’s army.
Bold pale bridegroom – dark thunder cloud, I call you.
Persephoneia, what news?
I hear no tale of her, only the spinning winds
of Dark Thunder.
Aïdês
Come now: ‘defiler’? Nay, those deeds
are for lesser men. Follow the law is all I am told.
Gather her from the gardens, yes. Pluck
her petalling dress.The ripeness asks for a firm hand.
Willowy, wrapped in aêr, she stood there, each hand
dropping delicate finger upon delicate finger
to curve those blossoms to her breast.
Her scent so subtle in the garden of aged fruit trees,
she would have been lost had I not shown her the way,
my way.
Eagerly, she lay in my carriage, I am sure.
Such gold shines from my wares.
All the better to bless her with.
Persephoneia, yes, she is happy, I am sure. Wrapped in fine
silks she is. Willingly she ate those pomegranate seeds.
Hekatê
A thin wailing I heard, a nymph telling secrets,
not the goddess-roar.
My torch flared, that is how I knew it was a goddess.
They don’t shine as bright for the dryad songs.
I listened, closer then, I knew the sound
from her childhood days. Barely a thunder,
though still fluid and charis-filled.
Cub half formed - I remember watching her learn
to dance. Iridescent. Snow drop in the breeze.
Curious though, like a bear cub.
I flew, faster than Hermês with his weathered sandals.
Dêô I sought, majestic with her bronzed hair,
draped and sheath like.
Persephoneia, Persephoneia, speedily she hurtles,
her tender cry ripping the air.
Come Dêmêtêr, come, we will find her.
Dêmêtêr
A dark cloak I gather, Aêr rolling over my fingers.
Mists to hollow the crone in me.
Flying, the bronzed songbird seeks. Nine days,
with blazing torches in hand.
No voice to ease, no etuma.
Hekatê, flaming, you come to me, with etuma in hand.
We seek. We seek.
Zeus has given her like cattle to sacrifice.
The underworld took what it was granted.
My heart dries, the earth dries. This dark sheath pales
around my slender ankles.
I lay my wringing bones beneath an olive tree.
Four sisters gather me from that well.
Princesses, they take me to their palace.
I become Dôsô, a nursemaid. Hidden goddess
who holds the king’s son in fire, divine fire.
No wailing from him, only ambrosia and timae
unwilting.
I eat not. I drink not. I eat not. I drink not.
Bare the earth becomes.
They do not know me, they do not see me.
Ignorant humans, to not know a blessing.
Enveloped in beauty, I reveal myself.
Radiance immortal, lightning quick to the deed.
Now they worship me, mortals of Eleusis.
***
Immortals come to me, one and then many,
offering timai and gifts
to see the sweet earth resurrected.
My mind is made, no harvest on earth
until I see my daughter with my own eyes.
No bloodied smoke to feed Zeus’ nostrils.
Brothers - Zeus placates Aïdês now. She is set free.
Give her to her mother.
When the dark chariot comes, like a maenad I run,
arms gathering her to me.
Phaidra Persephoneia, fragrant blossoming.
Sweeping flowers burst the wide earth.
Persephoneia
I was in the lovely meadow, I remember. Melitê, Kalypsô
were there, and flower-faced Okyrrhoê.
Playing and gathering anthē in hand. Lilies and
rosebuds, the joyful narcissus, born from the wide earth.
Such wonder and music, music in the wind.
We danced, all Nymphs and I.
It was the shatter I felt first, the earth splitting,
convulsing in unnatural birth.
Then the groan - the earth’s grieving wail
as her insides spewed forth, boulder over boulder.
The dank muck of the underworld oozing over
our green meadow.
Dark clouds seethed around me, I could not see
my nymphs, my wonderous flowers.
Only black dust, then silence.
This was when he appeared, in his dark golden chariot.
A slender shadow, half wild, half king.
He who receives many guests.
He pulled me to him. I fell to the floor of that chariot,
immobile in his grasp.
With a piercing voice I cried - taken over the salty sea
and those rigid mountains.
Still I held hope, as long as I could see bright Êôs,
loyal in the sky.
Then we plummeted.
I screamed, I am sure. Could no one hear me?
Hurtling into the misty below, down
under the depths of earth.
All the while Zeus sat on his throne,
receiving fattened portions from his followers.
Against my will. Yes, at the behest of Zeus, yes.
Lost in that liminal palace.
Days and months, what I thought a year,
before the messenger came. With news that I was free of
Erebos.
Free for you mother, to see me with your own eyes.
I sprang up for joy.
Then Aïdês leaned forward and placed in my hand that
honey-sweet food,
those pomegranate seeds so dear to me.
Glossary:
Diálogos ~ Dialogue (Ancient Greek).
Zeus ~ Ancient Greek god of the sky and lightning, king of the Olympians.
Kyrios ~ Lord (Ancient Greek).
Mêtis ~ Ancient Greek Titan of wisdom and deep thought.
Titan ~ Primordial gods, forerunners of the Olympians.
Patêr ~ Father (Ancient Greek).
Promêtheus ~ Ancient Greek Titan, protector and benefactor of humanity.
Basileus ~ King (Ancient Greek).
Persephoneia ~ Olympian goddess of Spring and rebirth, queen of the underworld.
Hêra ~ Ancient Greek goddess of family and childbirth, queen of the Olympians.
Hêrôs ~ Noble warrior (Ancient Greek).
Athênê ~ Olympian goddess of intelligence, strategy, and craft.
Aïdês ~ (Hades) Olympian god of the dead, underground riches, king of the underworld.
Aêr ~ Immortal mist or invisibility (Ancient Greek).
Hekatê ~ Olympian goddess of magic, witchcraft, and the crossroads.
Nymph ~ Nature spirit.
Dryad ~ An oak-tree nymph/spirit.
Charis ~ Grace (Ancient Greek).
Hermês ~ Olympian messenger god and psychopomp.
Dêô ~ Another name for Dêmêtêr.
Dêmêtêr ~ Olympian goddess of earthly fertility and rebirth.
Etuma ~ True things (Ancient Greek).
Dôsô ~ Alias of Dêmêtêr in her earthly form.
Ambrosia ~ Immortal sustenance of the gods.
Timai unwilting ~ Unwilting honours.
Eleusis ~Place of Dêmêtêr’s mystery initiations.
Timai ~ Honours (Ancient Greek).
Maenad ~ Ecstatic follower of Dionysos.
Phaidra ~ Bright /shining (Ancient Greek).
Melitê ~ ‘The Honeyed One’, a nymph.
Kalypsô ~ ‘The concealer’, a nymph.
Okyrrhoê ~ ‘Swiftly Flowing’, a nymph.
Anthē ~ Flowers (Ancient Greek).
Wide earth ~ Phrase from Homeric Hymn to Dêmêtêr.
He who receives many guests ~ A title of Hades / Aïdês.
Salty sea ~ Phrase from Homeric Hymn to Dêmêtêr.
Êôs ~ Titan goddess of the dawn and light.
Messenger ~ Epithet of Hermes.
Erebos ~ Furthest darkness under the earth.
Elia is a Tasmanian writer and artist with numerous poems, and a script, shortlisted and
published.
Her current creative projects reclaim mythic and historic female voices.
She is
completing studies in Classics, Creative Writing, Theatre, and Fine Arts.
Elia is a fan of Homeric Hymns, the fish-abundant sea (Homer), and Sea Shepherd.
Insta: @elia_maithilli.
Written as a dialogue between five Ancient Greek gods, Diálogos follows the myth of Persephoneia and the repercussions of the cloudy Olympian patriarchy.
Each perspective relates a varying relationship with the patriarchy and the feminine principle, embodied in the poem as Persephoneia.
