Mnemosyne

The fruits are ripe, dipped in fire,

Cooked and sampled on earth.  And there's a law,

That things crawl off in the manner of snakes,

Prophetically, dreaming on the hills of heaven.

And there is much that needs to be retained,

Like a load of wood on the shoulders.

But the pathways are dangerous.

The captured elements and ancient laws of

Run astray like horses.  There is a constant

For all that is unconfined.  But much

To be retained.  And loyalty is required.

Yet we mustn't look forwards or backwards.

We should let ourselves be

As if on a boat rocking on a lake.

But what about things that we love?

We see sun shining on the ground, and the dry dust,

And at home the forests deep with shadows,

And smoke flowering from the rooftops,

Peacefully, near the ancient crowning towers.

These signs of daily life are good,

Even when by contrast something

Has injured the soul.

For snow sparkles on an alpine meadow,

Half-covered with green, signifying

Of spirit in all situations, like flowers in May —A wanderer walks up above on a high

And speaks irritably to a friend about a

He sees in the distance, set for

Who died on the path... what does it mean?

My

Died near a fig tree,

And Ajax lies in the caves of the

Near the streams of Skamandros —Great Ajax died

Following Salamis' inflexible customs,

A rushing sound at his temples —But Patroclus died in the King's armor.

Many others died as well.

But Eleutherai, the

Of Mnemosyne, once stood

Mount Kithaeron.

Loosened her hair, after the

Had removed his coat.

For the gods are

If a person doesn't

And spare himself.

But one has to do it,

And grief is soon gone.