The Grief of the Great
Here I sense it clear-
Death takes hold of me
Hamadas roaring-
There's my everything
We were knit together
I loved him as my soul
For he was my root fire
That conquered the known world
Let his enemies rejoice
No rain, his sword unstained
I will sing of bravery
The only worthy fame
They whisper poison kills me
I know a broken heart
In the cold October
My true empire fell apart
Your love surpassed the love,
Of women, this I plainly see
So I shall burst the Styx,
With grief, and fashion a new sea
Sing goddess; the love a thousand fold
My Hephaistion is gone
Take back
This worthless world
Empires mourn as I
Though I doused your funeral pyre
Dionysus' wrath has rose
Like the smoke of ancient fires
Fire that out lords purple
Fire that scarlet shies
Who outweighs my chief concern
Who can measure infinite sighs?
They beg of me to eat
But my throat is rightfully closed
Your images of gold and ivory
Behold my kingly woe!
I'm not the man I used to be,
My train can testify
I loose my vendetta with mortality
I willingly give up trying
Ever the best, I now out mourn,
The Indian skies
Death was imminent
With the loss of Hephaistions eyes
Where to place my crown
Who to tell my secret fears
10,000 Talents and all the Aegean
Was never to me as dear;
Like my chosen brother
Sealed by the holiness of war
More precious than the wisdom
That Aristotle wore
Swifter than an eagle
Stronger than the lion
More glorious than every star
Within the great Orion
He too was an Alexander
My Patrocolus, my friend
To the bearer of my torches
My treasures are open
Who are these hollow sirens
Compared to the glory that was Greece
More worthy to remember
Than Jason's Golden Fleece
I loved him as I loved myself
But now the Fields they call
Heroes and lovers can become immortal
But first, the earthly fall
As I prepare to sail,
As I prepare for Bliss
As I go down to Dis
To retrieve Hephaistions kiss
I have seen the signs
Carved a great history
But now I do consent
For Death persuades of me.
Font size:
Submitted on September 30, 2013
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:54 min read
- 2 Views
Quick analysis:
Scheme | ABCC DXDE XXBX BFDF XBXB XXXE GDXX HIXI XXBX BGBC XIXI XXJA DKXK HJXJ DXXJ XLDL XMHM XNNN XBXB |
---|---|
Closest metre | Iambic trimeter |
Characters | 1,907 |
Words | 377 |
Stanzas | 19 |
Stanza Lengths | 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 |
Translation
Find a translation for this poem in other languages:
Select another language:
- - Select -
- 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
- 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
- Español (Spanish)
- Esperanto (Esperanto)
- 日本語 (Japanese)
- Português (Portuguese)
- Deutsch (German)
- العربية (Arabic)
- Français (French)
- Русский (Russian)
- ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
- 한국어 (Korean)
- עברית (Hebrew)
- Gaeilge (Irish)
- Українська (Ukrainian)
- اردو (Urdu)
- Magyar (Hungarian)
- मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
- Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Italiano (Italian)
- தமிழ் (Tamil)
- Türkçe (Turkish)
- తెలుగు (Telugu)
- ภาษาไทย (Thai)
- Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
- Čeština (Czech)
- Polski (Polish)
- Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
- Românește (Romanian)
- Nederlands (Dutch)
- Ελληνικά (Greek)
- Latinum (Latin)
- Svenska (Swedish)
- Dansk (Danish)
- Suomi (Finnish)
- فارسی (Persian)
- ייִדיש (Yiddish)
- հայերեն (Armenian)
- Norsk (Norwegian)
- English (English)
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"The Grief of the Great" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 12 Jun 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/86869/the-grief-of-the-great>.
Discuss the poem The Grief of the Great with the community...
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In