Hero fascinated by fighting,
she, sad quiet at home,
a heart full of love.
Goddess protect him—
light night-hours,
in morning,
a gentle promise,
she has hope.
The Oracle seems to be bringing me women in history. Last week was Joan of Arc; and this week, Penelope (the wife of Odysseus), though I would not imagine her so passive. I’ve added punctuation.
This is for Magnetic Poetry Saturday at Mr. Elusive Trope’s Specks and Fragments.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “Penelope,” [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Dante Gabriel Rossetti, “Penelope,” [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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I love your vision of Penelope. One of the (many) terribly sad women in Greek mythology. Were there any happy ones?
It doesn’t seem like there were many.
Wonder why? Greek men?
Probably. And more of their stories coming down through history. I will have to ask a friend who is more knowledgeable about this.
I’m happy to go with misogyny.
Hahaha.
And many long nights.
Oh yes–many!
sometimes the actions of the other leave one no other option but to be passive, although one could argue, as some do, that prayer isn’t such a passive act…and with the gods of old, seeking their assistance can come with a heavy price…
Yes, you are right about both passivity and seeking the help of ancient gods.
But also–men often portray women left behind as simply sitting around waiting, whereas they are running households, farms, and businesses while the men are away, while taking care of children and homes, and that’s really what I meant. Penelope had to manage the estate and hold off suitors while Odysseus was gone for years.
one of the primary sources that stood out during my studies in history was basically the journal of the English noble woman left behind to take care of the estate during the 12th century (if my memory serves me correctly) while the husband was off helping the king fight in some battle, maybe the Conquest of Normandy (it was a notable book in part because it was the first primary document of English royalty using English rather than French). The journal detailed all the challenges faced in keeping the keep functioning, and that it was a woman in charge seemed par for the course.
That sounds interesting. Yes, I think in the past it was often understood that women were doing these jobs, but in more “modern” times, it was forgotten–often because the women did not leave records or they did work that was not considered to be important. I think gender roles in Western culture were more fluid before the industrial revolution and domesticity.
I am always pleased how you pull stories out of a pile of words, like a magician out of a hat, Merril. You work your magic upon them and they fall into place with charming results. This one seemed sad but also hopefully in prayer.
Thanks, Robin. I appreciate your kind words.
(Shhh–don’t tell, but I often discard the tiles a few times and sometimes get “extra” words before something works.) 🙂
Hope is the best company of all if one needs to cling to something. Lovely and sad poem.
~PR
Thank you very much!
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