Heroes, Victims, and Poseidon
The metre of ancient Greek poetry succeeds in “achieving a length and complexity
that are unusual in the heroic verse of other literatures.” ~ Michael Grant, The Rise of the Greeks, 325,
as quoted in Michael Schmidt, The First Poets, 16.
The heroes are heroic much because
Of Greek. The feet of ancient Greek stepped strong
In beat. Performance and its poets’ laws
Required short, lonnnng, short, lonnnng, short, lonnnng, short, lonnnng,
Across the stage of theatre and stage
Of voice and singing. Syllables are more
Duration than a stress and so a rage,
A love, great hate, a passion fill the shore
Below the city with a god whose power
Sucks back the waves and sends them crashing in
To mangle beauty, no matter the power
Of innocence’s horses. This is sin
For everyone except the god. The length
Of syllables reveals the harsh god’s strength.