chanting c'est la vie
Thanatos slew twin Hypnos
in a pharmacy
FRIENDLY POET THE MOST READ POET YET YOU HAVEN; T READ YET MY TRIBUTE A TRIBUTE TO FLASHY ALL HAVE READ U MAY TOO NOW O LEMON
first i read the poem; it took me two days. second, i read parts of some comments, being particularly interested in part of S. W.'s comment; it saved me some research, since poet's note was so brief. In Greek mythology, Thanatos (/ˈθænətɒs/; Greek: Θάνατος, pronounced in Ancient Greek: [tʰánatos] Death, from θνῄσκω thnēskō to die, be dying) was the personification of death. He was a minor figure in Greek mythology, often referred to but rarely appearing in person...........i heard the name Thanatos during my college fraternity initiation ceremony; i did not know its meaning then. the rhyming clinched it for me. and rhythm. and brevity. to MyPoemList. bri ;) p.s. the poem is 'nice'. it is kind of 'funny', but i don't read a lot into it as some do/will. i'm trying to imagine this happening while i'm visiting the town drug store. yikes!
Bri, thank you so much. But wow...Thanatos in college? ? Was that some college experience or what?
A French intro to a Greek drama ending in an American tragedy. That was the first feelings that flew over me, when I read the poem. I think it is a sublimely penned short poem. Reflecting on its meaning, before and after reading the comments below brought so many thoughts. Sleep versus dead, eternal versus temporary rest. I think it has everything a great poem can have
Thank you so very much, Hans. Yes, the thought of three great cultures that produced great tragedies did cross my mind. That helped me with that first line. Thanks again. Mj
Love the poem. Adore, Greek mythology, it is so everlastingly us wretched creatures, posing as gods with all our faults, us, always missing the bus. Then there is a wonderful, Mythology lesson given by the inimitable and great, Susan Williams. What more could you ask for to clip and close the shaky weekend with a golden broche. Now I see where the biblical story of Cain and Abel comes from. The talent of putting it all in three perfect lines is amazing, so much so that such conciseness and poetic perfection overwhelms the mind and spirit. Great experience, thank you!
Hi Sandra, Thank you so much! And I actually was thinking of Cain and Abel when revising this. As Terry says, below, the presence of twins in mythology does predate much of Greek mythology as we know it....but the ancients of and around Athens I think were the first to look at their myths in rational terms. That part was new......I think that strand of thinking has influenced much of what we see and understand when we now see pairs, twins.....And now you have me thinking of a follow-up! Thank you for your wonderful, comment, Sandra!
Greek myths were full of paired hero companions, each local region had mutiple variations of some hero stories, time together in extreme cirsumstances or the lunacy of irrational perplexing moments is at the root of much conflict and sudden change, in literature the twin of opposite personality is an ancient heritage; differing personalities in siblings, opposites who attract, reality below the surface of the status quo. Any event no matter how simple or bizarre is an example of a 'that's life' possibility, any situation can have a few or multiple choice possibilites or cause effect possibilities leading to the outcome, 'that's how things happen'.
Thank you, Terry. And thanks for reminding me of how 'irrational' some of those myths are/were. Yes, I think it was the ancient Athenians around the 6th century BC who began subjecting mythology (and not just their own) to inductive investigation....Perhaps here is where we get the contemporary meaning behind the myths we know of today. Thanks again.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
I will have my revenge! I love your poetry so of course I am going to mightily research these names so I can fully enjoy this piece. So.... according to Wikipedia.... Thánatos is a son of Nyx (Night) and Erebos (Darkness) and twin of Hypnos (Sleep) . They are twin brothers- which may be why people go around mistaking people who are in the arms of Hypnos as being dead instead of merely asleep. Things get even friskier- -as they often do in Greek and Roman mythology- - when you realize that the twins have other siblings with other negative personifications such as Geras (Old Age) , Oizys (Suffering) , Moros (Doom) , Apate (Deception) , Momus (Blame) , Eris (Strife) , Nemesis (Retribution) and even the Acherousian/Stygian boatman Charon. He is also specified as being bloodthirsty and involved in violent death. His duties included being a Guide of the Dead. Hesiod in the following passage of the Theogony writes: And there the children of dark Night have their dwellings, Sleep and Death, awful gods. The glowing Sun never looks upon them with his beams, neither as he goes up into heaven, nor as he comes down from heaven. And the former of them roams peacefully over the earth and the sea's broad back and is kindly to men; but the other has a heart of iron, and his spirit within him is pitiless as bronze: whomsoever of men he has once seized he holds fast: and he is hateful even to the deathless gods. Thanatos was thus regarded as merciless and indiscriminate, hated by - and hateful towards — mortals and gods alike. On the other hand, his twin Hypnos is a sweetie. According to rumors, Hypnos lives in a big cave, which the river Lethe (Forgetfulness) comes from and where night and day meet. His bed is made of ebony, on the entrance of the cave grow a number of poppies and other hypnotic plants. No light and no sound would ever enter his grotto. His children Morpheus (Shape) , Phobetor (Fear) and Phantasos (Imagination, Phantasy) are the gods of the dream. It is claimed that he has many more children, which are also Oneiroi.The Oneiroi lived in a cave at the shores of the Ocean in the West. The cave had two gates with which to send people dreams; one made from ivory and the other from buckhorn. However, before they could do their work and send out the dreams, first Hypnos had to put the recipient to sleep one vase that Hypnos is featured on is part of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston’s collection. In this vase, Hypnos is shown as a winged god dripping Lethean water upon the head of Ariadne as she sleeps. Hypnos is said to be a calm and gentle god, as he helps humans in need and, due to their sleep, owns half of their lives I think I would like to write about these two. But I think I will have Hypnos getting the last word