Bacchus and Ariadne by Titian
Bacchus
dressed in
skins
and fine purples
comes
riding to the shore;
debauched
and sinful
he craves
the willowy nymph
drowning
in a sea of lilies.
grieves on the shores of Naxos
for the loss of Theseus.
How
beautiful and pale
the
forlorn child looks.
Her
breasts are almost bare
her neck
is long and slender
and a
promise of blemished
innocence
shades her eyes.
Frenzy
drives the god insane.
He brings
her garlands made
of stars
and scatters orchids
and red
roses at her feet.
Drunk with
lust
he takes
the frightened child
to his
marriage chamber
and on the
bridal bed
with
kisses beyond limits
he
meanders on her thighs
until she
throbs with joy.
Driven to
the peaks
she casts
her love for Theseus
and all
her morals in the sea
and she revels in the
rhythm
of a honey-dripping flute.
Drunken
satyrs sway in darkness;
with
glazed eyes, they beseech their
master
until god and goblins are one.
Ariadne
free at last of all wrecked
prisons
guides Bacchus and his beasts
into
labyrinths of sinful pleasure.
Prudence
is destroyed, Ariadne's
sensual mouth brims with honey
and
unbridled chaos rules the land.
No comments:
Post a Comment