Two Curses (2) Poem by Sheena Blackhall

Two Curses

The Curse of the Hope Diamond
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a 17th century jeweller,
Wandered the face of the earth
In search for gems. He visited India
Twisting a great, blue diamond
From the brow of an idol, the Hindu goddess Sita.

Back in France in 1668, the French Sun King
Bought the large, blue diamond

According to legend, Tavernier was torn apart
By wild dogs on a trip to Russia
After he sold the jewel.
The desecrater thoroughly desecrated

What became of others whose lives it touched?
Nicholas Fouquet, a French official, executed
Princess de Lambale, beaten to death by a mob
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette beheaded.

The Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey bought the stone
Subsequently lost his throne
His favourite Subaya wore the gem and was slain.

Greek jeweller Simon Montharides was killed
When he, his wife and child rode over a precipice.

The grandson of Henry Thomas Hope
(For whom the diamond is named)
Died penniless.

King George IV of England bought the malevolent jewel
On his death, it was sold to pay off royal debts
And how has the British Royal family fared since then?
Does a curse continue down the generations?


The Curse of the Black Orlov (the Eye of Brahma Diamond)
Black Orlov was plucked
From one of the eyes of a statue
Brahma, God of the Cosmos,
Worshipped in Pondicherry,
Stolen from its Hindu setting
By a Jesuit priest

A diamond dealer ferried it to America,
He jumped from a skyscraper in New York City.

A Russian princess, Nadia Vygin-Orlov
(After whom the diamond is named)
Came to own it, inherited its curse
She, too leapt to her death,
Leaving the gem behind

The diamond was bought by a jeweller
Who cut it into three. Did he break the curse?
A mortal, an unbeliever?

Cursed because it was stolen from a god
Cursed because it resembles a snake or spider's eyes.
Three million years old, the child of a fallen meteorite
It is sacred as Yama, Hindu God of Death
Magnificent indeed. But would you buy it?

Two Curses

The Curse of the Hope Diamond
Jean Baptiste Tavernier, a 17th century jeweller,
Wandered the face of the earth
In search for gems. He visited India
Twisting a great, blue diamond
From the brow of an idol, the Hindu goddess Sita.

Back in France in 1668, the French Sun King
Bought the large, blue diamond

According to legend, Tavernier was torn apart
By wild dogs on a trip to Russia
After he sold the jewel.
The desecrater thoroughly desecrated

What became of others whose lives it touched?
Nicholas Fouquet, a French official, executed
Princess de Lambale, beaten to death by a mob
Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette beheaded.

The Sultan Abdul Hamid of Turkey bought the stone
Subsequently lost his throne
His favourite Subaya wore the gem and was slain.

Greek jeweller Simon Montharides was killed
When he, his wife and child rode over a precipice.

The grandson of Henry Thomas Hope
(For whom the diamond is named)
Died penniless.

King George IV of England bought the malevolent jewel
On his death, it was sold to pay off royal debts
And how has the British Royal family fared since then?
Does a curse continue down the generations?


The Curse of the Black Orlov (the Eye of Brahma Diamond)
Black Orlov was plucked
From one of the eyes of a statue
Brahma, God of the Cosmos,
Worshipped in Pondicherry,
Stolen from its Hindu setting
By a Jesuit priest

A diamond dealer ferried it to America,
He jumped from a skyscraper in New York City.

A Russian princess, Nadia Vygin-Orlov
(After whom the diamond is named)
Came to own it, inherited its curse
She, too leapt to her death,
Leaving the gem behind

The diamond was bought by a jeweller
Who cut it into three. Did he break the curse?
A mortal, an unbeliever?

Cursed because it was stolen from a god
Cursed because it resembles a snake or spider's eyes.
Three million years old, the child of a fallen meteorite
It is sacred as Yama, Hindu God of Death
Magnificent indeed. But would you buy it?