:: Saturday, July 31, 2004 ::

Alas, Babylon!

For those of you wondering why this blog is called Alas, Babylon! or why the url is ceruleaneyes.blogspot.com, I thought I'd post a poem I wrote a few years back which is the inspiration for those names. So without further ado, I present:


Alas, Babylon!

When the hour's late and fires low
Remember back to long ago
To an ancient age forever gone
The glory of lost Babylon

Within her brilliant, sun-drenched walls
I was god and king of all
Atop my mighty ziggurat
I sat enthroned, deep in thought

Of you, my slave, your beauty fair
Copper skin and raven hair
Cerulean eyes, rimmed with kohl
Deep within I saw your soul

An ancient spirit, holy, divine
I thereby vowed to make you mine
Jus primae noctis was my right
And so I took you on that night

When dawn's first rays caressed the walls
I brought you to the royal halls
Deep within my shining palace
And raised on high the Sacred Chalice

I anointed you with blessed wine
And incense in the hallowed shrine
Enthroned you at my right-hand side
My goddess, queen, and precious prize

My love for you outshone the sun
But you burned with hate for what I'd done
From your golden throne you refused to reign
Your azure eyes were filled with pain

To appease you I had statues formed
Monuments to your grace and charm
Enshrined in temples for all to laud
You their goddess and I their god

But still my love you always spurned
My kingdom's fortune soon would turn
For as I grew ever more alone
The seeds of discontent were sown

The gods of life became enraged
Their anger could not be assuaged
For as the Hellenes would come to know
Hubris only leads to woe

Famine, drought, rebellion, war
Plague and flood, and locusts galore
For succor and aid my people cried
But I heard only my silent bride

My mighty walls they cracked and fell
While death rang out from temple bells
My people fled, hearts filled with fright
And left us with the endless night

Watching as my kingdom grand
Sank beneath the shifting sands
And though your soul was filled with tears
Your cobalt eyes were once more clear

For though you wept for splendor lost
I had finally paid the cost
Of taking you against your will
And holding you as I held you still

But as the tears ran down your face
I saw once more your divine grace
Your beauty never was more rare
Than on that night of dark despair

And so I freed you from the bonds
That held your soul for far too long
You flew away to lands unknown
And I again was left alone

So when the night is dark and deep
And the world has fallen into sleep
Remember back to days bygone
The glory of lost Babylon!

© Robert G. McCreary 1997-2005


And that, my friends, is the meaning of Alas, Babylon!

:: posted by Rob 9:38 PM [+] ::

1 Comments:

I'm confused! There wasn't a single reference
to herring or herring products in that otherwise
fine poem. You are a superb poet, but you lack
focus. At the very least, you could have worked
a line in there about Omega 3 fatty acids.
Sweden demands such fidelity!

By  Anonymous, at 2:10 PM  

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