Bacchus And Ariadne Poem by Chris Zachariou

Bacchus dressed in
skins and fine purples
comes riding to the shore;
debauched and sinful
he craves the willowy nymph
drowning in a sea of lilies.

Ariadne betrayed by her lover
grieves on the shores of Naxos
for the loss of Theseus.

How beautiful and pale
the forlorn child looks.
Her breasts are almost bare
her neck is long and slender
and a promise of blemished
innocence shades her eyes.

Frenzy drives the god insane.
He brings her garlands made
of stars and scatters orchids
and red roses at her feet.

Drunk with lust
he takes the frightened child
to his marriage chamber
and on the bridal bed
with kisses beyond limits
he meanders on her thighs
until she throbs with joy.

Driven to the peaks
she casts her love for Theseus
and all her morals in the sea
and she revels in the rhythm
of a honey-dripping flute.

Drunken satyrs sway in darkness;
with glazed eyes, they beseech their
master until god and goblins are one.
Ariadne free at last of all wrecked
prisons, guides Bacchus and his beasts
into labyrinths of sinful pleasure.

Prudence is destroyed, Ariadne's
sensual mouth brims with honey
and unbridled chaos rules the land.