On reading the Iliad while Thailand slips into political anarchy

[Tom]

In morning sun I sit where once the stretch
Of noble Siam's fingers reached to fetch
From neath my feet the golden sheaves of grain,
Entrusted gift of earth and sun and rain.
Here once the fields of rolling green would lie
Unravelled out to touch the open sky,
Wherein her lowly subjects spent their toil,
Their blackened feet engulfed in moistened soil,
Their vulgar breath exhausted in the mud,
Rewarded by the knowledge that their blood,
When gathered in a royal golden chalice
Fortified the angels in their palace.

Through distant seas of time a voice still rings,
Through Pope's blank verses Homer's muse still sings,
My inner vision swift away it bore
To thirsty fields slaked with blood and gore,
Where mortal men are rallied by the cry
Of heroes, born of gods, to fight and die,
And while I read a yearning strongly grew,
That had I stood beside Scamander too,
On battle car in radiant arms arrayed,
That I like them would not have been afraid
To force my lance through breast with manly thrust,
Until I too lay bleeding in the dust.

Today the streets of Bangkok bear the throng,
Two hundred thousand rally 'gainst the wrong,
Their weapons flags and whistles, hands and feet:
A coloured human wave engulfs the street.
Imagined heroes scream from lifted stage,
Enflaming all the mob to righteous rage.
But wherefore lies the glory?  Neither side
Is noble Troy or Greece across the tide.
The gods that dance the puppets from above,
Tyrants all, devoid of human love;
To fill their guts they grind the mob to mud,
Holding out a goblet for their blood.

[Jane Berg]

Ooh Wow, this is really something. That ending is so intense, very dark. And I so love the pentameter, it just slides over your brain! And really, I would almost confuse this with a classical text. This is a real treat to read, and kind of a strange contrast. Thailand and ancient Greece. Was that really a belief, the bit about the angels. Oh by the way I just met someone who taught English in Thailand last year, her name is Courtney. You didn't meet her by any chance. Well, I suppose its a big country.

[Tom]

Thanks Jane. Bangkok, or Krung Thep in Thai, literally means 'city of angels'. And no, I didn't meet Courtney unfortunately

[Li Parker]

Wow...I never read this of course but Im really impressed. Its quite something to write about current issues in this more old fashioned sounding form, very efective!

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