Victory Without Triumph or The Hero’s Tale. Part 1
I remember, in my nocturnal journeys, in those intergalactic ones, or simply when crossing the Aleph at twilight, a man told me: «For a true poet, every moment of life, every event, even every thing, should be poetic, for it deeply is.» What that old man of 70 years from southern lands affirmed made a lot of sense, especially if you read that Greek and his tragedies, in one of which, was I? Yes, it was me! Me! There was my name, my city, the name of my mother, stepmother, and wife. Implausible coincidence, how could it be? And so, I began to read…
I grew up not like any other child, I always knew I was different, my physical strength revealed that Uranus had different paths for me than for others. I believed I knew and could do everything. I walked towards youth, and there I realized that blows also hurt. However, despite that, I was gaining more and more fame among these islands of the most famous sea in the world. I was a true hero, my adventures were full of success, plausible enterprises filled with glory cluttered my walls with awards. Garlands decorated my home. I knew that books yet to be written would describe each of my tasks, my feats, my heroic deeds for eternity.
Then, I met her, the most beautiful woman in all this kingdom, and the most coveted, even by that living river. But no one could steal her from me, I made her mine, and above all, I made her part of me. I was the first man in history to defeat a god, in this case, one who dominated the fury of an entire river, and to take the most beautiful garland of all: my wife, my beloved wife. Two children later, on an autumn dusk, the largest of the centaurs wanted to appropriate the aroma that only I could enjoy, he wanted to abuse her fragile bones and her carnal delight, but not even the king of the centaurs could stand up to my bravery. Protected by the skin of a lion fallen from the moon, the divine mace, and the company of my father from the heavens, I managed to defeat such a formidable beast, which closed yet another triumph for this humble redeemer, without knowing that upon reaching the goddess of victory that day, in a cruel twist of fate, I sealed my doomed destiny towards the remoras of the underworld and its labyrinth.
To be continued…
MLF