Aphrodite's Apprentices

Emen

Emen

By Yoav Schwartz

(Based on Homer’s Iliad)

Part 1.

“Sing of Emen, Muse, the man whose heart filled a cup with wine, 

The men who joined him, fought him, 

And the gods themselves.”

Up in Mount Olympus, 

Where the Thunderer Zeus sits in his 

Throne, trouble stirred.

Pallas Athena, Hera, Hermes, and Ares

Were thinking of the men: Poceanus, Rines, 

Colmon, Julian, and Gariatun, innocent. 

The five mortal men, who stole from King Emen. 

But Zeus, Poseidon, Hephaestus, Artemis, 

Apollo, Demeter, and Dionysus found them 

Guilty. Aphrodite was thinking 

Both sides urging her to join them. 

She found the men handsome and good, 

So she joined the team to gray-eyed Pallas.

Down below in the Aegean Sea, 

Sailed the men. 

Poseidon and Zeus, still angry 

With them

Were conducting a storm. 

Poseidon saw them and their 

Ship and hurled a wave at it. 

The wave struck them and, 

In a flash, 

They were tossed into the raging sea. 

Far off in the land of 

Philthya, 

King Emen and his wife, 

Queen Rebecca,

Were also arguing. 

Queen Rebecca shouted:

“Emen, my evil spouse!

How dare you!

Rebecca, I, wish that you, 

That you stupid selfish king, 

That you would think!

Think before you set us up. 

The gods have decided, 

Some find US guilty!

The robbers fled, 

You gave us this strife, 

Emen, my evil spouse!”

And Emen said soothingly: 

“My queen, 

My beloved wife, 

Surely you are mistaken, 

I did not commit this trouble. 

Why, had the men not stolen, 

Emen, I, would have stayed calm.”

Rebecca, the queen, stormed to Kind Emen’s

Bed-chamber. 

And in her growing wrath, 

She tore his bed sheet in half!

She flung his cotton pillows 

Into the firing hearth!

Meanwhile, the men were still swimming in the raging sea

When all of a sudden, 

Pallas Athena dove down from

The sky.

“Oh dear,” she said to herself when 

She saw the unconscious men struggling 

In the water. 

She went down and picked up 

The men. 

Rines awoke. 

“What!” he cried.

“What is happening?

Oh, where am I?”

Part 2.

Pallas carried the men to

Mount Olympus.

The gods sat silent

On their thrones, 

As Athena lay the men on the floor. 

Helios, the sun, 

Was starting to turn back 

To his ittle house on an island and his 

Last, dim, rays shone on the dull glass of 

King Emen’s window. 

Queen Rebecca now forgave Emen. 

“Oh,” said she to Emen. 

“Oh, how I AM sorry for

Fuming at you. 

Shall you forgive me, like I have forgiven 

You now?”

Back up in Olympus, 

Zeus now thought, 

“Eh, now, I have thought twice, 

And now I learn a lesson. 

My accusation

Was a mistake, 

For I now find

The men innocent.”

So the gods took the men, 

And they flew to King Emen’s castle. 

Selene, the moon, 

Now took Helios, the sun’s place. 

Night danced in the sky

As the gods landed in the castle. 

Queen Rebecca said:

“My!

The gods?

And the thieves?

Oh, goodness!”

“Now,” ordered Hera. 

“Now see here!

These men are innocent!”

Queen Rebecca straightened. 

“How I should’ve known!

Why couldn’t you just tell me?”

And Hermes, herald of the gods said:

“We were busy at the time. 

I, Hermes, herald of the gods, 

I know you well!

Daughter of Chireyscha and Nelso. 

I would’ve told you!”

And Rebecca’s eyes flashed.

And they all agreed, 

The trouble was over.

T h e     E n d

The Tiger

Sky Fairy

The Gods and Goddesses

Halloween

Dancing mushrooms,
Could there be fairies inside?
The twelve little pumpkins,
Gleaming in their pride.
The clock struck nine,
Children ran home,
Carrying their candy-bags,
Dressed as gossiping princes,
Ghosts and hags.

Visit to the Adler, September 25, 2008

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