The small island swam
against the onrush of mighty waters,
a crushing gale, a torrent unleashed
by the most spiteful of the strong ones.
Cold anger, pure rage, hurled
against men who had already suffered much
now they suffered much more, unbridled hate
from the depths that overwhelms all.
Odysseus leaned against the roaring wind,
sought no shelter from the bitter, stinging rain,
dared to stand despite tridents tearing the sky.
He felt his homeland bow beneath monstrous blows
of an unearthly storm that never changed its intensity.
His people were dumbfounded by the sheer violence
of the onslaught of the mighty sea god.
The king's word brings dire consequences, yet again.
The island lurches upon a driving sea
like a small boat plunges, almost capsizing
amidst great bounding waves, constantly pounding.
This island is almost swallowed whole by the deep.
The king was once again as good as his word
and his word called forth a dangerous destiny
that always seemed to destroy everyone around him
and now he seemed to be on the verge
of taking all of the kingdom down into the sea.
How charmed he seemed to walk unscathed
through the jaws of destruction yet again.
As if a snake charmer coiled with the body
of a marvelous dragon around his limbs
which ate everyone but he who mesmerized it.
No one saw the fear in the dragon charmer's eyes.
Odysseus stood above what was once a little bay.
Now it was inundated by giant swells.
There sturdy ships from Scheria once landed him.
They had glided effortlessly upon a then stilled ocean.
If only he knew the secret words they used then, now,
that calmed the face of the surging sea waters
and tamed the mighty winds, bending nature to will.
Those words would banish the mighty one
back into the depths and make the world still
which had been raging since Zeus over took the sky,
forcing his older brothers down under earth and sea.
Deep rage boiled over bringing destruction to men
who stood between these feuding brothers,
who had lost their unity after Kronos
found himself in Tartarus bound.
Jealous brothers raged against the sky
and plotted to undermine the power of one younger raised high.
At every turn they tested the limits
that kept them down in the endless darkness
while a lesser one exalted himself on high.
The sailors from doomed Scheria, land of wonders,
set Odysseus down still sleeping, lost to this world,
in one of his dangerous restless slumbers
that came from utter exhaustion
and often led to disaster
on his former perilous journey.
They laid him down without waking him
from his dreams of glory and the songs
of the Sirens still ringing in his ears.
Dreams of his prizes, both those lost
and those that now replaced them.
Dreams of return to his Father's house,
his young wife and a son grown older.
Dreams of revenge and sacrifice,
and future journeys yet to be imagined.
These fantastic sailors brought
all his goods and fine gifts ashore.
He found everything still there when he awoke
tied hansomly with magic knots
stacked high upon the beach -- treasures
surrounded by spidery traces in the sand
of a vanished people from a vanished land.
They left him abandoned once more.
Did not assassinate and rob him as Arete had feared.
This time abandoned to his own homeland
a stranger in the island of his youth.
Athena of the bright eyes watched him
as he carefully counted up his treasure trove
and then smiled as he tried to trick her.
She had brought him home once
Would she do it again?
Or was she perhaps angry with him again
as when won by a trickery
and then desecrated her image in the temple at Troy,
his comrads raping women in the sanctuary.
It was due to these outrageous acts
that she became angry with him
as he oscillated between the way of Agamemnon,
who stayed and piously sacrificed on the beach,
and Menelaus, who left in haste
without sacrifices of atonement.
Menelaus who left first was delayed longer in his journey,
his fleet scattered by a storm.
His unlucky brother, who stayed longest, got home first
only to die at the hand of an accursed wife.
But fate was cruelest to the one who oscillated,
first joining Menelaus in fleeing and then turning back to
join Agamemnon but missing the sacrifice.
Odysseus became lost in the midst of the nihilistic dilemma,
and it was he who was delayed longest, and returned alone.
No one knew the way of the gods
even those blessed by their favors.
Poseidon had stalked that miraculous ship
as it sought refuge after the journey
across the endless seas, beyond the furthest lands,
and right there before the eyes of their families
the great dark god turned their sleek craft to stone
setting it up as a monument of crystalline rock.
A moment in time just prior to completion
frozen forever incomplete.
Their seafaring craft had gone a rye
The crew stood still on the decks
gawking, flailing, just as they sighted their homes.
The proud land of Scheria now cut off from the sea.
Once isolated from all conflict, safe from the Cyclopses,
intimate with the Gods, protected from obedient waves,
they finally tasted a loss as bitter as any from war.
Even more bitter because it always stood before them
a closed door, shut to the rest of the world,
a continuous reminder of their baleful loss.
Once masters of the oceans that wrapped around the world,
they would ply their trade on stilled seas no more.
The words they had uttered upon the face of the waters
that made their sailing as smooth as across liquid glass,
were thrown back upon their faces, turned dark now.
They looked across to their homeland, never to be reached,
catching glimpses of parents, wives and children
for the last time as hopes were crushed
watching a happy journey's end drug back by fate
stopping just short of completion like an arrow
approaching an infinite limit in trade for hitting their target.
They reaped the lost homecoming of Odysseus,
and Odysseus stole their homecoming when they helped him.
They would help no other mortal attain his goal without pain.
By helping him accomplish his goal with such efficacy
they like his crew and kingdom were forever thwarted.
The great ocean rejected the men of Scheria.
Their gliding ships were seen no more by men.
Their vanished land disappeared from every ancient map.
A harsh cincture from an angry implacable one.
Now that anger was relentlessly directed at another island, Ithaca.
As Scheria was ringed by mountains of stone and its ships frozen,
so now Ithaca was surrounded by walls of water
and the spirit of adventure of her king was stifled.
A typhoon of enormous proportions appeared
as the mighty one made the sea water churn
leaping as if to engulf Odysseus and his kingdom.
Odysseus remembered Athena as she appeared
on that once hostile shore: wondrous, enchanting.
He sought shelter there now from the raging winds
as he remembered his futile attempt to trick her
before he knew with whom he was dealing.
She had laughed at him and then guided him one last time.
Odyssues leaned on the olive tree above the grotto.
In his youth he had explored the cave of the nymphs
and heard their laughter as they did their weaving
on stone looms which they caused to bring forth miraculous tapestries.
Within the fabric, richly woven, shapes moved,
like the crown of Pandora or the shield of Achilles.
as the lifelines of men and women entangled
some thread broke off while others started afresh.
A crazy quilt with a hidden pattern
where the play of opposites grew serious;
where the strange pattern of fate bedazzled the eyes.
Within the cloth he saw two golden threads.
They came close, then ventured far apart,
only to return again to each other.
They wove around each other again and again,
sometimes close, sometimes at a fantastic distance,
each the warp to the others woof.
Even as a boy Odysseus knew Pennelope's traces
and saw how their lifelines spun together.
He tasted the sweetness from the stone urns
where honey flowed amber within the cavern
saw the upwelling of the spring from an unknown source.
Here the mortal path crossed that of the immortals
and he wandered in and out of the cavern as if it were
his only real home on this earth, the splendid fortress of his childhood.
This cavern was the intersection of heaven and earth,
the nexus of mortality and immortality
from which the world is born again and again.
Fate woven with cosmic golden threads
spinning down from the celestial flame to terrestrial fires,
cutting across the warp of the unfolding sea shells
that lay about at the feet of these onetime Norns.
Songs echoed as the shuttle flew back and forth
weaving an interference pattern with the woof
producing dancing patterns of man and star light,
of sunlight and the colored light of the wanders.
All the celestial lights gathered together,
interwoven strands that sparkled bright
in the darknesses of the cave, hidden beneath the earth
worked by the nimble fingers of the nymphs
who rose each morning from the wine dark seas
taking their leave of their lady Thetus,
the goddess of the dark veil,
who now is still weeping over her son, Achille's fate.
Hers is a black grief without solace like that of Demeter
for the lovely girl Persphone.
And as the sun strode through the heavens,
the men who walked upon the earth
discovered the deeper meaning
of the patterns on the cloth that were unfurled,
Each day on the surface of the sea
the bolts were shown to Theitus
to whom the patterns spoke.
But in the moment of the weaving
there was only silence there as we heard
the singing of the shuttle
as fated worked upon the rack of the loom
weaving itself under the hands of the nymphs
reflecting the patterns in the stars
writing strange words -- the runes of ruin
that only appeared in the acts of man.
Here Odysseus, in his youth,
first tasted the fruits of destiny.
He stood for a moment frozen in time
between the well and the tree.
between the pathways of the gods
and the byways of man
between the looms of fate
and the amber taste of glory.
He saw in that moment a primal scene
frozen in eternity stretching back in time
till he lost it from his inward sight,
like a mighty river flowing
from the ancients down through time.
This scene never changed
and he realized that everything
in this world was a reflection
of that one mysterious image.
In all his journeys
he had merely transposed that image
and returned to it again and again,
but it was always the same.
It stood mute and unforgiving
as the pieces of fate
emerged and formed a pattern
that woke up and came to life
at the hands of silent women
hidden in the darkness
as if it were their home.
Now there was a break in the weaving
and the cave was sunk down
below the obscured horizon.
The nymphs were gathered round.
Their father was a raging and
their mistress was at rest.
Mankind groaned and trembled
at the massive scale of the tempest.
Odysseus broke his reverie and wondered
what he could have done
to make Poseidon so angry,
to have an enemy of a god is a terrible thing for a mortal.
Athena helped him get home once,
but now had forgotten him it seemed.
The madness of the moment reminded
him only of the wild one, Dionysus.
He had come here hoping to see his guide,
Athena, once again -- now that faint hope vanished
He sensed that all the nymphs and goddesses
had become followers of the god of wine
and the only sign of the cave and the beach
where the drunken bobbing of broken trees in the surf.
Unless Odysseus and his companions could find a bridge
that stretched through the sky to the mainland
there would be no journey to the forgotten center of the earth.
Here he was a prisoner on an island once again
like he was before in the center of the ocean
under the spell of an immortal woman
who warned him against returning home.
Now he was home and the spell was broken
but his home had become a cell
and his wife whom he had struggled to see
had become not unlike the nymphs of the cavern
a sullen weaver of broken threads of song,
threads that bind him to his homeland
strange webs that would tie him and prevent his departure
and keep his son a boy, his destiny ever furled,
"If only this nymph would return to the sea"
charmed, she kept him here at home.
His once immortal jailor was now mirrored in a mortal one.
How quickly the tables turn from imagined bliss to horror.
Suddenly from the sea out from the bay
the waves billowed and began to burst
a giant crest appeared
as if something had exploded from the water.
Odysseus stood back and then saw huge horses
spewing from the sea, pulling a cosmic chariot
ridden by a terrible visage hidden by mists.
The chariot raced toward the surging shore
bearing down on Odysseus where he stood.
Odysseus knew that this was Poseidon,
come to destroy him.
He decided to stand his ground and die
in a manner befitting a hero such as himself.
Just as Achilles stood before Apollo's arrow.
It was certain greatness to be slain by a god
after sacking many cities
and having seen the whole of the world.
They would say of him that the trident found him brave
when cunning no longer might save his skin.
Odysseus knew his life was forfeit
and that his death was to come by the sea.
Perhaps Teresieus was slightly confused
about the other journey, maybe it would be taken by another.
Now he knew the god manifesting before him
was his old enemy whom he didn't seem to be able to avoid any longer.
There was nothing the human could do
when the gods bore down upon them
with thoughts only of destruction in their noble minds.
But Poseidon stopped his chariot short
within the bay filled with frightful noises
of gigantic horses held back.
He did not venture upon the land,
did not leave his chaotic realm for a moment.
He sat in his mighty car
and looked down on the pitiful Odysseus
as the cunning warrior crouched
behind the bending olive tree
to which he had clung when the god appeared.
"Odysseus! Speak to me!"
Odysseus tried to see the face of the awful one
but through the storm he saw only dark clouds
roiling in which the shapes of horses sometimes appeared.
He saw only a darkness deeper than a starless night
A chaotic abyss lost in the depths of night covering a terrible visage.
It suddenly reminded him of the vortex Caribdis,
the dark center of a powerful maelstrom,
over which he hung from a twig.
In the wind a deadly voice reverberated,
tridents split the dense air and offered brief flashes of light.
Odysseus found his courage and shouted against the wind.
"Oh, powerful one, why do you wish to destroy me?
What have I done to deserve your hatred?
I am a mere mortal, so why does an immortal
send precious time between heaven and earth
trying to bring about the inevitable?
One might think you were short of time to wait!"
"Odysseus, do not play your clever games with me!
I have come to remind you
that one day I shall destroy you utterly.
I shall rise out of the depths and crush you
as I could this moment if I deemed it fit for you to die.
But I may wait to do it later by the leave of Zeus, we shall see.
Then we shall surely meet again between the well and the tree
at the crossroads of the paths of mortals and immortals,
where the looms of fate stand by the urns of glory overflowing,
where the water of life bubbles up from unknown depths,
where the world tree sinks its tap root.
Or we may meet much sooner still
before you have completed your second journey
to the very center of the vast lands that await you.
Just as you saw the center of the ocean you are fated to travel
until you see the wonders that lay hidden in the continents.
For you are a man that balances everything.
I have thrown this storm at you
as a reminder of my great power.
You seem to have forgotten me, your nemesis,
over the years as you sunk into an easy life
reunited with your love ones against my will.
I paid the people of Scheria their reward for that.
And someday I shall give you an equal reward.
Such is your arrogance that you thought you could go out
on this journey without my leave.
You are haughty and proud without right, Odysseus.
I will teach you humility in the end."
Odysseus felt that his destruction was near.
No man could stand against a god and live.
They were cruel beyond human imagination.
Their power was awesome using all of nature as a weapon.
Men could only cower before such cosmic forces.
"Oh, Mighty one, I ask your permission to go
on my fated journey deep into the lands
far from your territory, but in hopes of return.
I accept that you are my death.
But what pleasure can you get from that
if it means killing me before my fated completion.
Let me find my way to my own end at the ends of the earth,
and then I will be a prize worthy of your enmity."
"You will never learn Odysseus. I inhabit all depths this side of death
as my brother Hades inhabits the depths on the other side of death.
The depths of the land are like the depths of the seas.
Where do you think my horses come from.
But mark my words and listen carefully?
You must carry your oar wherever you go upon the roads.
Your journey is over the moment you meet a man
who mistakes that oar for a winnowing tool.
If you bring me that man I will take him instead of you
and cover him with the ocean depths due to his ignorance of me.
If you return alone then watch the waters each day
for I will engulf you when you are unawares.
And Odysseus, just because you forsake the sea
does not mean that you can forget me.
I will always be behind you and in front of you.
I will always do my utmost to trip you up.
I am your sworn enemy, I am your nemesis.
Great men are judged by the greatness of their rivals,
and so are the gods.
To have a god hate you is an honor.
Most men we despise and leave to their own devices
but you Odysseus have greatness in you
and that sets the gods at loggerheads vying to determine your fate.
I give you permission to enter on your journey Odysseus
but do not forget me again and my promise to destroy you
I will have my way with you, or your scape goat, in the end.
Despite all help from other quarters you will finally be mine alone.
Do not bother trying to elude me Odysseus
for I am mighty beyond your kenning.
Odysseus despaired and quaked with intense fear
but he summoned up his courage to speak again.
"Oh holder of tridents and molder of mountains
why has this journey been laid on me?
Was not the last journey I made enough?
Why am I singled out for this tragic fate?
Running lost between earth and water
only finding my home to lose it again?"
"Who are you to question me?
Fatedness has no reasons, you can understand.
You are an enigma, even to yourself.
Look deep within your self
Search for the ancient ones
and then one more ancient still.
They hold the secret of who you are.
This is my journey to my homeland you undertake.
You will find no frozen hollow horses can save you
when you like a besieged city close up the doors
and look for succor within your self.
The story of Troy is far from over Odysseus.
You are now known as the undecided one."
The god vanished leaving the sea suddenly calm.
The darkened clouds began to dissipate quickly.
Rain stopped and the echoes of thunder died away.
Slowly the animals and birds began to move and
make noises again as if coming out of shock.
Odysseus stood up and released the bent olive tree.
He could not believe what had happened
but kept going over what the god had said.
He turned to look across the island
toward the mainland which was now visible.
Suddenly the sun came out and looking eastward
he saw a rainbow leap across the channel.
A colored bridge had suddenly appeared
at the tip of the long island, as if to say,
it was safe to cross the narrows
and begin the journey to the homeland of Poseidon.
Copyright 1996 Kent Palmer. All Rights Reserved. Not to be Distributed.
Not to be stored in any electronc form nor published in hard copy without the Authors permission in writing.
Permission is granted to individuals to temporarily store and make one copy for personal study.
961116 -- Draft 3 -- epic02da.fm