Hadrian Dying: a new poem by Charles Bryant

HADRIAN DYING

by Charles Bryant

(for Pietros Maneos)

I am purged of all my youthful hubris.
Forsaken sunlight filtering through glass,
memory glows in the enfeebled mind
of age. Lasciviously dancing figures
whirl in oriental ecstacy,
his form apart among the rest, god-like
in shape and promise, delicate; to garner,
while he gardens, among greater blossoms,
superabundance of petal and of pistil,
sigils of reconstituted wholeness.
Now long lost under water; with the Nile
merged into the Middle Sea. May
some white angelic being guide him, aid
whatever golden path he traverses
through the bright and diamond-lucid air
to resurrected freedom; absolved, at peace.
May he sense the orisons arising
from our prison altars, hear our prayer.
May he gaze upon me kindly, purged
of almost every earthly passion, stricken
in body, awaiting my release. My soul,
that dispossessed and lonely wanderer,
shivering guest of body's sepulchre,
sets out once more upon an unknown road.
He's sombre. I sense he will not smile again
lest he enfold you in his living arms
beloved son Antinous. Lanuvium
shall be our meeting place; and you, a new
Silvanus, master of the hunt and of
my heart, shall with me range the wilderness;
shall with me track the boar among the stars.

____________________________________

My sincere thanks to my friend the American Greek-Italian poet and author Pietros Maneos, to whom this poem is dedicated, for permission to use the photograph of him for the middle section of my video. Pietros' website is http://pietrosmaneos.com/

'My soul,
that dispossessed and lonely wanderer,
shivering guest of body's sepulchre,
sets out once more upon an unknown road.
He's sombre. I sense he will not smile again'...

is my approximate translation of Hadrian's own poem 'animula vagula blandula'.

The opening picture is of a Grecian bust of Eros in my own collection.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• hadrian
• antinous
• charles
• bryant
• pietros
• maneos
• poetry

[HerAeolianHarp]

A flow of longing and nostalgia, sibilants swaying as if from some aquatic pull--I love the depth and tug of this poem; its passionate focus never distances us. Just remarkably beautiful, and I want to say thank you, too, for your tribute to Pietros. I like the cut of his jib. I've always liked yours. Take care. - Erika

[brychar66]

@HerAeolianHarp Cheers Erika, you are kind and your first sentence is a poem by itself. I loved that photo of Pietros from the time I first saw it and knew it would be perfect for some future poem. I think it fits the sentiments of this one to a T.

[willworkforwages]

An eloquent beckoning of death. Charles, you are a goldsmith with an incomparable talent and a charitable heart.

[tboltssf]

Utterly lovely. Thank you for creating this poem!

[andrewnorris2]

You always seem to take us into a distant, exotic world but with a language that carries us all with you. Returning to this after first hearing it when you posted it a couple of weeks ago. Thanks, Charles.

[Casandraelf]

maybe a side project could be a reading of all twelve books of paradise lost.

lovely poem, by the way. i love your readings

[1zangelique]

Wow, just wow. 'For Pietros'? Don't you mean, for all of us?

Much love and thanks, Charles, as always!  Gare

[Idlinfarm]

Hardly enfeebled, magnificent, I would say.

[PietrosManeos]

Thank you, Chas. I am very honored.

[MySensualWorld]

Heartwrenchingly beautiful...so many emotions, feelings,...had me in tears.