A raid against Theba's wealthy usurped throne
stumbling was in seer Amfiarao's reservations sober.
No suitable the conditions for starting the campaign, insisted.
-What do seers know about conditions, enraged the argive king.
-Conditions is a matter of plans to forward by golden means,
defended king's groom Polynikes, the claimer of sceptre.
''Your sister Eriphyle, my king, the reasonable wife of Amfiarao,
with our ancestral heirloom, the devine necklace, on her neck
will ensure her husband's positive forcast, devine augure.''
But six out of the seven eminent participants fell on battle's field
under the conditions suitable predicted by the bribe's verdict.
And when, years after, the seven's sons decided a second raid,
to ensure positive the inclination and judgment of Erifyle's scale
one had to offer her the other devine ancestral heirloom, Athena's veil.
For coquetry's pretended sake the two wealth's accessoires
two propelled wars, desastrous for all poor weaks summoned up.
In the first, even her husband prematurely sent she to Hades lap.
In the second with death diced she even the lives of her sons.
Fair to have stayed necklace and veil bribe's stigma on angiographs.
Coquetries of wealthy notables go as back as myths' ages
and still we allow their lusty hands on sceptres carry necklaces, veils,
assault, seize greed's thrones, exploit in their interest earth's pores
beyond commoner's measures, mortal endurance, biotic necessities.
Mandatory audit not to require! Whence golden veils, necklaces?
This here and that there and those adjacent or in snake's holes,
wherever in earth's surface, or 'ubicumque orbis terrarum manent abscondita'.
There is a doom that hangs over the characters in this story. And they are fatally oblivious to its presence and power in their lives. Until the full disclosure of their errors strikes them even as the doom descends upon them. This is one way FATE plays out in our mortal lives, and countless later writers from many cultures have echoed this theme from the ancient Greeks. I was re-reading parts of Thomas Hardy's TESS this weekend, and on the very last page he refers to Zeus as THE PRESIDENT OF THE GODS who, perhasps reluctantly, released that doom on the character of the once-innocent Tess. The knowledge she gains about human existence is painfuil but real, and I can see its origins clearly in this distant story.
As far as I know I'm the first to write a whole poem referring to the myth of Eriphyle's bribery.Altghough it is supposed to have taken place in mycenean times 1700-1100 b.datum even in classical antiquity poets have not devoted a whole poem to the myth except in references it is to be found.
The close connection of money and power always returns even if broken from time to time. History around the world is its witness.
Unfortunatelly we are not taught by the examples of history, dear Lady.Thank you so much.
I'm optimist, or better I want to be, dear Barry...Many things are changing.In the next decades it will be much more difficult briberies and coruption in general to be concealed.
Bribery is just another word for politics. The U.S.A. is an oligarchy, purchased from politicians. A time worn tradition.
Cheering is the fact that all the more there are free voices fighting against deceit and corruption, dear Kelly.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I am not familiar with the myth you are referring to; but, as far as politics concerns- unfortunately, it has always been this way.