Poem: Journey of the ‘Alcyone’
I wrote this poem, inspired by Sarah Polyakov’s Multimedia Art. Her words ‘“Alcyone” (Sarah Polyakov- 2022 — Multimedia).
I wrote this poem, inspired by Sarah Polyakov’s Multimedia Art.
Her words ‘“Alcyone” (Sarah Polyakov- 2022 — Multimedia).
Alcyone is the brightest star in the Pleiades star chain. The Pleiades are also known as the Seven Sisters and are part of the Taurus constellation.
These verses are inspired by her work. Because of the lack of space in a normal post, I am publishing this as an article.
THE JOURNEY OF ALCYONE — PART I
Alcyone appealed to the mighty Zeus:
Zeus, My Lord!
What is there left of our father Atlas
The mighty shoulders that once carried us!
Now lifting the burden of the heavens
Lost forever to us sisters seven
Bleed our hearts and weep our eyes
With our lives, shall we pay the price
Brightest I am, the most beautiful
‘Alcyone, here, my Lord Zeus !
I give up on life thee… ‘
A flash and thunder in the darkened skies
Far deep beyond the human eyes
‘Thou shall appear and shine forever
Thundered the word of the mighty Lord
The seven fickle lives, on earth, did disappear
Born in the western sky, the Pleiades did appear
In her black garb and with a firm face
Still missing her father Atlas
Holding the Taurus constellation in place
Shining the brightest of the sister’s seven
‘Forever,’ thundered Zeus from the Olympus Mountain.
Part 2 is the journey of the Taurus Constellation, of which Alcyone is part of, across the western sky. The sighting of the Alcyone is the delimiting of the sailing season ( called furlough, in the poem).
THE JOURNEY OF ALCYONE — PART II
Look as we may, the earth we lived
Along the Mediterranean, bright and blue
For the sailor, it is time to moor his sails
Head to the land, applying the sea furlough
With the blinding mist and angry seas
Till the land before does it freeze
Will pass the winter gloom
And will roses ever bloom
ALCYONE TO THE SAILOR:
I shall watch you from the western skies
Chased away by the mighty Orion
Follow your path and throw the dice
For beyond the winter, life must go on.
~ Ashok Subramanian
