Arnold Bocklin, "Odysseus & Calypso," 1883
Odysseus, you hick, you hot hayseed
You brash bumpkin from rocky Ithaca!
Athena to your every need paid heed;
Your smile was my pain’s prolegomena
I am a deathless goddess, beautiful
Each of my sneezes is a symphony
My sweet allure is irrefutable
But you, cunning peasant, rejected me
For I failed to be your fair Penelope
Making and unmaking Laertes’ shroud
She showed vile suitors more than they could see
And made her sweaty husband smugly proud
He left me here on cool Ogygia
I was vanquished by mortal nostalgia!
About the Creator
D. J. Reddall
I write because my time is limited and my imagination is not.
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Comments (7)
Loved this!! What a well rendered piece capturing Calypso’s perspective!
Ah...yeah...he was an ass. Well written, sir. Loved the biting satire of this and the painting is stunning. You are definitely the king of ekphrastic sonnets.
Each of my sneezes is a symphony - cracking line!
Hilarious! Have you had a chance to read Circe by Madeline Miller? She had a great take on the character and the situation
The Idiot and the Odyssey. What hicks may come!
Hehehehehe this made me chuckle. Is this for Savannah's challenge?
How dare he! I love this line: "Each of my sneezes is a symphony". Given me my own idea for a choir that sneezes...