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On either side Tritonis lie
Red desert sands and salt-white clay,
Where pale palm trees do meet the sky;
And through the reeds a road winds by
To Triton’s palace ‘neath the waves,
And on the sands, the nymphs play gaily,
Gazing on the walled bailey
Of the island, shrouded daily,
The island no one braves.
Fig trees ripen, olives shiver
Date and ash tree, manna-giver,
Nightly owlets glide and quiver
By the island mouths a river
Home to playful, lively otter.
Marble walls and golden towers,
Overgrown with crystal flowers,
And the delta’s isle embowers
The cursed god-king’s daughter.
Who has seen her by the wall?
Who has seen the curtains fall?
Covering the windows all?
Who has ever dared to call
At bronze gates closed tight?
Only Nymphs, up bright and early,
May just catch a song sung clearly –
Voice as sweet as nectar, nearly,
Echo through the night.
At the lakeshores, fair folk play,
Careless, joyfull, night and day,
Dryads, naiads, free and fey
Bathe in seafoam and seaspray
Yet the island no one knows;
Among the folk a tale is known,
Shared in a hushed-up tone–
Listening, whispers, “Sad and lone
Is Lady Parthenos.”
~o~
There she weaves by night and day,
A shining shroud of thread so grey,
For fearful father never she may
(A curse of blood if she should stray)
Love any heart but his.
Born of Metis, mighty, wise,
Who within the father’s stomach dies,
Thus guarded is she, rarely cries,
The Lady Glaucopis.
Her father, sure, is wise and grand,
His will is her utmost command.
She guards her heart, she guards her hand,
Glad that no one in all the land
Dares reach her tower here;
For should she touch, should she be seen,
Would those who dare to come between
Herself and father’s love so mean,
Find death by her own spear.
Yet, gleaming on her chamber wall,
A bronze-cast shield reflects it all:
Shows dancing nymphs, the seagulls’ call
The seasons – winter, summer, fall –
And warriors riding free.
She sees the maidens, sees the tide,
She sees two lovers, side by side –
"I'm half sick of reflections," sighed
The Lady Athene.
~o~
Triton's daughter brave and true,
Raised in the sea-depths green and blue,
From early childhood surely knew
That deeds of valor she’d pursue,
And truest love would find.
She heard the tale of cursed stone,
Of god-child kept so sad and lone,
Yet laughed away the warning tone,
And left the waves behind.
Beneath the marble towers high,
A golden song came floating by;
It caught her heart and held her eye.
She felt the curse she could defy,
And god-child’s grace obtain.
"No bronze shall keep my love away,
No fearful curse shall breed dismay;
I’ll break the gates before the day,
And free her from her pain."
She would not listen to the lore,
All of her friends’ advice ignore,
Whatever monster she would gore,
Thus graceful weapons Pallas bore,
When she came from the sea.
Out flew the web and floated wide;
The bronze-cast shield cracked side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady Athene.
~o~
She left the weave, she left the loom;
She made three paces through the room,
Picked up her spear, embraced the doom,
Went down to gates of bronze and gloom,
To meet an eager foe.
With heavy heart and weeping eye,
The goddess watched the spear-tip fly –
Divine command none can deny
Now struck a mortal blow.
Beneath the towers, on the sand,
The broken spear fell from her hand;
The bravest nymph in all the land,
Dead by the curse’s grim command,
Her gentle hand brought doom.
No victory could grief erase–
She pulled the girl in her embrace.
"By Styx she has a lovely face,"
Wept Lady of the Loom
The owl-wings bore the maid away,
Far from the foam and from the bay
To mountain tops of stormy grey,
From judge she asked which price to pay,
In Olympian arena.
When Zeus decreed she should ignore
Eternal oath instead she bore–
“I shall not love forever more,”
Vowed Pallas Athena.