Aias
One of the heroes of Homer’s Iliad, known more
by the Latin form of his name, Ajax, whose shield
was even layers of hide capped with one of bronze.
| when we woke where the square of hours leaned into five, the tide, placed offering of calm, the earth’s arm in dark sleeve stayed at the rim, it was there above a glow, like a distance on the tongue, of rose in water, just there, in a sky you felt to touch up into… i recalled the ‘rosy fingered dawn’ ‘ rhododactylos ios ῥοδοδάκτυλος Ἠώς |
of Homer the metaphor ringing still like first light, the lifted shield of word the sun drove down upon singing, the attic reds and black grass figures round the vase cup and pitcher, the rested spear the fated game, i could not stop the play that gathered me in round, the dropped armour of epithet remaining long after my body’s dust |
february 2020
*‘rhododactylos:‘ Homer’s famous epithet of the
dawn (the goddess Eos) as rosy-fingered
Copyright ©2020 Peter Le Baige. All Rights Reserved
The music comes from Track 24, ‘Paen & Processional’ from the collection ‘Music of the Ancient Greeks’ performed by Ensemble De Organographia, who perform surviving fragments of ancient Greek music on recreated instruments. Acknowledgements to all spirits whether of the living or passed on involved in its recording.
Ruru ki Te Ruru 