By Fhen M
๐ฝ๐ฐ๐น๐ฎ๐ถ
I see you in the eastern sky
a fair maiden strolling among the stars
your feet, light as a feather,
like the feet of my daughter.
a rope mark around your neck
I heard the wine god
(I refrain from drinking liquor)
inflicts insanity on unmarried women
๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฃ* ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ,
๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ณ๐ฆ'๐ด ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ฎ๐ฆ
the willow branch broken
she dropped beside a brook
If I die, I want my daughter
to live a long and happy life
so I say a prayer to Erigone*
sometimes to the drunkard deity
before wine is poured to a glass
a fair maiden strolling among the stars
(death will kindly stop for me)
let me sing a song on your short life
in the eternity of the heaven.
*Rue is a herb that gives relief from anxiety
*Erigone in Greek mythology was the author of Icarus. She was placed in the constellation of Virgo after she hung herself post her fatherโs death by his friend, Dionysus, the god of wine.
Fhen M was a fellow in a creative writing workshop. His poems โA Name Whispered in the Wind,โ โYakal House beside the Sabang Riverโ, among others appeared in ๐๐ฐ๐ฆ๐ต๐ช๐ค๐ข anthology.
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One reply on “Strolling among the Stars…”
This poem contains so many allusions, including Shakespeare’s play entitled Hamlet.
Due to its bitter taste, rue is often associated withย regret, repentance, and sorrow. Shakespeare’s Ophelia herself has known her fair share of this now that her former lover, Hamlet, has stabbed and killed her father, Polonius.ย
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