NAUKRATEIA ARTISTIC AGON 2009

Poiesis Entry: The Gifts of Aphrodite
by Amanda Sioux Blake

O beautiful Muses Who dance on Helikon Mount
Rich-haired Goddesses Who drink from the Hippocrene,
Holy spring of Pegasus, which gives inspiration
Come to me, fair Goddesses, and attend my song.
Sing to me of Golden Aphrodite,
The lovely foam-born Lady
Goddess of Love, Who rules the desires
Of men and beasts alike
She is Primal, Primordial
A force of Nature, unstoppable
Sitting demurely among the Olympian Halls.
O Lady of the Beautiful Tresses,
You are the most powerful on Olympos!
For even the mind of great Zeus Himself
Must inevitably bend to Your will,
You Who cause sweet love
And maddening desire
To flower in the hearts of all that lives!
How foolish the King of the Gods was
To think that He could harness Your power
By the yoke of marriage to solid Hephaistos!
O Goddess, Your bounty, Your beauty, Your power
Overflows all bounds, like a cup running over
With sweet wine.
May my life always be full of Your radiance
May Your laughter always echo in my ears
May I see Your face in every flower
For Your gifts are more then the ecstasy of sex and joy of love
You reign supreme over all the pleasures and joys of the world!
Golden-Aphrodite, Laughter-Loving, be near me always
And I will sing for You another song.