Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE ARGONAUTS (ARGONATUICA): EROS AND HIS MOTHER, by APOLLONIUS RHODIUS


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE ARGONAUTS (ARGONATUICA): EROS AND HIS MOTHER, by                    
First Line: With that she rose, athene at her side
Last Line: Even if old hephaestus gave you one.'
Alternate Author Name(s): Apollonius Of Rhodes


WITH that she rose, Athene at her side,
Both hurrying back; but Cypris made her way
Along the Olympus valleys. There she tried
To find him, and there she found him, far removed
In the deep garden of Zeus, not lonely, at play
With Ganymede, whose beauty Zeus so loved
He enskied him in the Immortals' house for ever.
And there the same as any other boys
Like-minded in their joys
They played with golden knucklebones; the greedy
Eros his left hand holding full already,
The palm just under his breast; erect he stood,
His bright cheeks blushing in a happy fever.
The other dumbly knelt and sulked beside him,
Had two bones left, threw one, the other next,
Angry at Eros shouting to deride him,
And lost them like the rest; he went perplexed
And empty-handed away, blind as he went
To Cypris coming. But she touched the chin
Of her child, stopping by him: 'And why grin,
You utter rogue?' she asked, 'and have you cheated
Like that? it wasn't fairly you defeated
The little innocent!
But come and do the work that I want done,
And I will give you Zeus's favourite toy,
The one dear Adrasteia made, his nanny
In Ida cave, and him a tiny boy, --
A nice round ball, nicer you'd not get any,
Even if old Hephaestus gave you one.'





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