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I. The Beautiful Antinous
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i
the beautiful Antinous,
the god, if men can be like gods
immortal, born beyond Byzantium,
beside the inland sea
died in Egypt, died and yet still lives
in glorious heaven, glorious
shining amidst the shining gods
we shall sing your praises
Lord, we laud you as we love you -
mightily!
his Presence fills the world
his People worship, his People sing
Forever in your royal barge you sail the sky,
sun of our darkness, son of the royal sun,
master, lord, and falcon
standing at the prow, your beauty dazzling,
you whose death filled Hadrian with sadness,
you whose death filled all the earth with light
reborn into eternal life
purify the darkness of our souls,
illuminate the night in which we dwell
beautiful Antinous, we praise you,
son of Mantinoe, Mercurius your father,
Eros' fire submerged in water
made your fair youth flower and put forth
the emperor, watching your movements with doting eyes,
saw in your lovely form and features
radiant goodness shining thru the flesh
and in your smile the gods' own invitation
to drink the cup of nectar, to imbibe
the seed of immortality, made himself immortal
thru the act of love
like mightily-muscled Hercules, paragon of potency
and stength, hunting the lordly lion
the emperor in guise of manhood magnified,
by your power transmuted,
saw the blood which dripped from your white thighs
transformed in a shower of petals
adorning his shaft
which so lately pierced you
so that you died, became yourself a man
no longer boy
ii
he saw you naked in the palace,
desire assailed him
just like the hungry lion followed him
thru all his nights and days,
the hunter hunted by his nemesis and prey
haunted by your slanting eyes
his sleep was restless
his need was unappeased
by any lovely youth or maiden
furnished by the court or country
he thought of your far wind-swept plains
he smelled the wind in your hair
he smelled the wind in your thick and curling hair
and saw the rising sun upon your forehead
and the shining surface of your inland sea
reflected in those deep grey eyes
with lovely curling lashes
like pines against deep water, such deep water
-where he waded, where he swam
but did not drown, as you, beloved
later drowned....or if he drowned
drowned only in deep love
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in moonlight to the lovers man and lad
Caesar of the Romans and his consort
the broad expanse of glittering Nile was calling
as only moving water calls,
spirits of wind, of wave, were beckoning
onward onward
under a bridge of stars
with tireless eddies and currents of the stream
all thru the night the emperor and his love
heard the happy voices of the river
their limbs entwined as mouth to mouth they lay
breathing each others breath
or stirring in mid night to make new love
and softly secretly again at silvery morning
dutiful to the voice of Venus' son
(and later, and much later
the widower recalled with many tears
the sight of that naked body when the moon
moving to declension shone on his love
whitening the shapely curve and length
of mound and muscle
and thick tousled hair
with glowing beams and highlights
on the flesh and fleece)
from the palace balcony at dawn, again
they heard the calling of the river
where Hapi fleered and floundered
noisily by the shore, so heavily playful
showering his fecundity on harem and inferiors alike
snorting like a bull, black lord of Nilus
Ra-Horakhty, Phosphor, Morning Star,
great Aten in his rising, one after the other
gleamed and glowed along the ridges of the eastern hills
dawn dawn whatever we may call him
bringing always light and hope
even to the dying and the doomed;
so thru river-mist the first lights glowed
and Antinous felt the vapour on his body
raising his arms to the solar disc
bright hunter-falcon of heaven
bringer of dearth and drought as well as life
should his strength be too severe -
and when the mist cleared, hailed the risen sun
standing beside his master in warm sunlight
hearing the chorus of the river birds
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Notes: The first section of the above poem is based upon the Latin poem 'Ave Ave Antinoe'
by Phillupus the Doctor - see link below.
I have used the hippopotamus as a symbol of the God of the Nile, Hapi, since it served my poetic purpose wonderfully. But in actual fact the ancient Egyptians were not very fond of Mr Hippo who tended to wreak havoc in their fields, altho Mrs Hippo was worshipped as the goddess Tawaret.
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Links:
Ave Ave Antinoe
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