Medea ( Sonnet with Notes)
by Robin Ouzman Hislop — Read all 170 poems by Robin Ouzman Hislop
Medea is a myth with more than half a dozen different stories rolled into it. The one I've selected is the murder of her children to avenge her fickle & usurping husband of her throne. She has 14 children twin boy & girl. I take this as the planetary system & a period when matriacy & patriacy are reconcilled but with Medea still in the role as high priestess of the Ninefold Muse Moon Goddess. Hence, as in the case of Cassandra when her oracle is overthrown by Apollo, with Medea, Jason, prophecy of disaster follows. As I commented to Helga Ross with her remark the Brits are at war(in fact Britain has been at war for the last five years) Babylon will continue to fall. In the words of John Lennon. I just love to watch them roll.
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Medea.
it had been but happiness that you hid
suddenly you fled to the far wild
leaving a prophet poet hear you chid
the world made in the brain of a child
insane & do you not now know there can
be no greater pain, more than cassandra
o curse of medea slayer of children,
who'd wished them as maia, young forever.
now no more they run as children bridal
with the planets as their heavenly twin,
such healing pride could bear no betrayal,
white robed the moon left original sin
to the children of eden their incest
& with you their secret happiness.
Copyright Robin Ouzman Hislop 2004
All rights reserved
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Carmen
There's especially striking assonance, flow and lyricism in the following lines:
it had been but happiness that you hid
suddenly you fled to the far wild
leaving a prophet poet hear you chid
the world made in the brain of a child
insane & do you not now know there can
be no greater pain,
I'm not familiar with the story of Medea, but after searching the net and finding out a brief story about her, I was saddened by her choice to murder her own children in order revenge of her husband.
It also made me think of the movie "Flowers In The Attic" about the money-greed mother who hid her children in the attic and tries to murder them all by feed them poisonous cookies.
A well-written poem and very thought-provoking.
Sandie May Angel :o)