meanwhile
in 1250 BC
odysseus still sitting on that lovely little beach
on his way home
everything he’s been through
the men hes killed
the cities he has laid waste
the women he has had
the riches he acquires and loses
the miles he has travelled
always struggling and struggling
always plagued by fate
undone in triumph
hated by the sea god poseidon
loved by wisdom herself, athene
odysseus trying to get back home
empty handed
scarred and tired
hes met his match
calyspo the witch
calypso the demi-goddess
calypso the nymph, oh!
calypso on her isle of marvels
odysseus wanting wanting wanting his home
and all that it contains
(somewhere in 1965
10 year old s kilbey says
yet you spent 7 years on that island…..!?.. )
can you modern readers imagine
odysseus our hero
lost in the sea
comes to this isle
half drowned
battered driven by the wind and waves
a remote place
as he lays on the shore
coughing out the sea
convulsing and shivering
too enfeebled to move
in a cold fever
so much driftwood
someone finds him
takes him in
revives him
fortunately
unfortunately
that someone
is the ageless immortal calypso
a lovely creature indeed
long and lithe in her viridian gown
enchantress
neither good nor evil
the 2 regard each other
odysseus sitting up in her bed convalescing
calypso feeding him delicate morsels
massaging his knotted back with her healing hands
her maids bathe odysseus and giggle
men of his calibre dont wash up that often
not like odysseus
what it is it about him ? she wonders to herself
odysseus is glad to be alive
he is grateful for her hospitality
but he is wary
remember he thinks to himself
circe
another witch
yes odysseus had tangled with circe
turning his men into swine
she had stripped him naked and commanded him to ravish her
she said
come with me to my bed
so that in making love
we may learn to trust one another…
odysseus said
circe
you order me to be gentle with you
you who turned my men into pigs
in your own house…..!
but they had been lovers
and she willingly restored his men
and it had been hard for odysseus
to leave her island
and now…..
almost 13 years since he set out for troy
odysseus finds himself becalmed for 7 years
how did they spend the days?
wandering the island
calypso taught him of its flowers
the names of its birds
they saw dawn rise in the skies
they dipped in the sea
they walked in the sun
and they loved in the black fragrant nights
imagine them in her cave
tireless and ardent
the witch
with her love and magic
the man
with his long agonizing journey and his cunning
imagine the things they said to each other
imagine the things that they kept from each other
imagine odysseus’ heart torn in 2
how did the time drag or glide for him?
what could 7 years mean to an eternal creature?
yet
calypso
offered odysseus immortality
he would still be alive today
yet
but
he needed to get home
he had to get home
for the sake of the story
for the sake of destiny
for fates own reasons
eventually athene
pleads with her father zeus
please daddy
tell that fucking nymph to let my odysseus go…