The Tragedy of Venus and Adonis

The rose of dawn blushed softly in the air,
A silent world transfused with ageless light,
Our tale begins with Venus, full of care,
Whose passion faints her senses in the night,
With love for brave Adonis, young and strong,
Their story fills the pages of my song.

Sweet Venus, filled with yearning and desire,
Awake all night, her restless aching limbs,
Denied of sleep, consumed with love’s sweet fire,
Each long cold hour her dreams all full of him,
For he engulfed her thoughts with sultry lust,
Until the world seemed dark with her mistrust.

For she was jealous, wanting him alone,
No other man would do, high prince or king,
Her sighs plagued heaven with her anguished groan
And nothing could bring peace or comforting.
She watched him through her window every day,
This fine strong man who went upon his way.

Oh Venus, you, whose beauty is renowned,
Across the world, immortal like the rose,
When Cupid’s arrows fell you quickly drowned
As if the winter landscape filled with woes.
She fell in love, the flood gates opened so,
Filled with desire that always seemed to grow.

Until her feelings overtook her sense
And now she could no longer hold her tongue,
For nothing else could give her recompense,
Save loving him, romantic stories sung,
Where goddesses love mortals here on earth,
Heroic tales of laughter and of mirth.

Yet her advances quickly then were spurned,
He had no thoughts for her, he loved to hunt,
He cared not how her heart so deeply yearned
And told her so, his words were short and blunt;
“Sweet goddess, leave me here, I pray, be gone,
I have no wish for love please go, have done!”   

Her fairest charms held no allure for him,
He had no interest, hunting all his sport,
Yet wanting him, her heartfelt desperate whim,
She wouldn’t leave until, now over-wrought,
His love had won, so deaf to his reply,
She still pursued him with a hungry cry.

“Adonis, I am queen of love and joy,
I offer you my love for one sweet kiss,
Would you ignore me like a childish boy,
When I can bring you rapture and such bliss,
That would make you so happy and content,
Pray, answer me and give me your consent.”

He turned away ignoring her sad plea,
For love was never further from his heart,
Yet burning filled with sensuality,
She wouldn’t leave, she wouldn’t then depart
And suddenly she caught him in her arms,
Seducing him with all her endless charms.

Until he fell beneath her melting gaze
And filled with ardour Venus held him tight,
The lovers kissed, her passion all ablaze,
As if their kiss would fill the heady night,
And though at first he asked her to desist
And held her back, he couldn’t then resist.

So Venus held him in the mossy glade,
Her lips caressing his in warm delight
And blanching all the colour seemed to fade
From his pale cheeks at being held so tight,
For love was something he had never known
And he let out a faint and dreadful moan.

For her alluring body next to his,
Her hair dishevelled falling round her face
And curving breast, he couldn’t fail to miss,
Tall Venus full of beauty and of grace.
How could a man resist her sensuous balm
Or not desire her sweet seductive charm?   

Though proud and built of muscle he was weak
And Venus knew that he would be her own,
She laughed and for amusement she did seek,
To win his kisses, hush his fearful groan;
“Adonis, I would die for you” she cried
My love is like the undulating tide!”

“How many months I’ve dreamt of your embrace
And watched you from my window every day,
I’ve longed to kiss your dear and handsome face,
So don’t despair and hear what I must say.
Adonis take my love and all my heart,
For our love will be told in song and art.

A prophecy that we cannot ignore,
Our love foretold, our legend written down,
So listen to me that I do implore,
For I must love you or I’ll surely drown,
For your dear kiss I’ve waited far too long
And you will learn to love sweet rapture’s song. 

I’ll show you all the depth of how I feel,
Each moment caught beneath the silver moon,
From time’s relentless clock we’ll quickly steal,
Release and morning will come all too soon,
So as the evening gently turns to night,
We’ll find sweet comfort in our love’s delight.
   
For love is my eternal dress to wear,   
A velvet robe, for I am Venus fair
And I am like a jewel that’s pure and rare,
So this is the adventure that we can share.
Deny you heaven’s kiss beneath the sky?
Romance would die and mortal’s wonder why!
   
Adonis would you turn away the stars?
The moon is no less glorious to see,
The coals of hell my sanity would jar,
Unless you give your love and heart to me.
Time has a padlock, you now hold the key,
So turn it now and find warm ecstasy.   

For time is like a prison where we’re bound,
The door tight shut behind a heavy lock,
A hellish silence echoes all around,
For here there is no sunshine and no clock.
Without your love I’m lost, the dungeon’s deep,
So many restless hours, I can not sleep.

How could you leave me there so dark and cold?
So hungry, you’re the manna of my eye,
Sweet passion has no place when we are old
And know that I must love you or I die.
So open wide your arms, it is our fate,
How can I bear to see you filled with hate!

For hate brings only anger, icy rage
And has no place in my beseeching heart,
Love is the definition of an age,
So ageless choose to finish or to start!
The ending leaves me sobbing on my own,
Begin again without this heart of stone.

My lips are like the ruby, red and soft,
My eyes like liquid lakes so full of tears,
My perfume smells of flowers from the croft,
My beauty has been famed throughout the years,
So turn your face from Venus and you’re blind
And men will say Adonis lost his mind.

What blemish can you find my earthling knight?
All nature’s gifts are here to bring you joy,
So why turn pale, your skin so ghostly white,
Oh, you are like a woman cold and coy!
So love, relax, enjoy our precious time,
For you are ready, in your manly prime.

I’ll pluck a thousand roses from the briar
And lay them on the bank around your feet,
Then you will find the depths of my desire
And learn of sensual passion and of heat.
Deny you Venus? Then you’re surely mad,
It vexes me to see you looking sad.

For men have wooed me with desire and song,
Proclaiming me with voices loud and grand,
So how could these skilled bards all be so wrong?
Their praises written all across the land
And here I lie and think only of you,
Such cold reproach, I wish it were not true.”

She stopped, at last, and kissed him for a while,
Her cheeks were flushed she wanted him to yield,
Poor Venus, she could hardly win a smile
And still all stubborn like a wooden shield,
He showed no change and wished to leave her side,
Alas, for him there was no place to hide!

So Venus caught his hands and held them close,
Her agitation growing deeper still,
Her towering temples, honouring love's rose,
Began to crumble, heavy was his will,
His stubborn pride gave no sign of release,
Poor Venus needing him to give her peace. 

“Adonis, I have loved you for so long
And watched you hunting in the forest glades,
Give in to me and find romance’s song,
Or you will send me sinking down to Hades.
Your heart my heaven, heartless hellish vice,
How can you so refuse so small a price?”

“Sweet Venus, I do not deny your grace,
The sweetest nymph has not a light to you,
You rave of love and I cannot keep pace
And trap me like a lacquered resin glue.
I’d rather hunt the wilderness today,
For bears and boars than spend it in this way.

I scorn your love, it does not interest me,
I live to hunt and that is all I need,
Your feelings drain, they are a sorry sea,
Adventure calls not love to make me bleed
And pushing her away with sudden force,
He felt a sense of freedom not remorse. 

Yet Venus couldn’t stand to see him go,
She cried and raged, as if a stormy cloud,
Adonis feeling ravaged in the flow
Of anguished tears, her love so mighty proud,
For all her wild intentions were to stay,
He tried yet he could not shake her away.

She fell upon the bank and dried her eyes,
Was Venus ever jilted so before?
She would not heed the set back, still she tries
To win him round, oh pity love so poor,
For love returned is like the golden sun
And needing much she couldn’t fathom none.
   
Beside the trees a stream flowed through the dell,
Adonis cupped his hands and took a drink,
While Venus wounded, thought herself in hell,
Her fevered cheeks blushed to a rosy pink,     
She called him back to her, his smile so pale,
Her eyes so bright, oh how could love so fail!       
     
“Adonis, would you bring eternal night,
Give me your heart and drunk with love you’ll find
It moves the earth, the heaven’s then alight,
My love will taste of wine, oh you’re so blind,
Discover love, it has a sweet allure,
Oh drink my love it is a fine liqueur!

For I am heaven’s daughter, heaven's love,
My statues grace the temples everywhere
And you would turn from heaven far above,
If you so leave for love drinks more than air.
Forget the hunt, the haunts of howls and death,
For love’s sweet kiss is all you need of breath.

What must I do to win your callous heart?
What words of mine can melt your frosty ice,
Without you my whole world will fall apart,
Oh love is like a spell, exotic spice,
I offer you my heart, without your kiss,
I’ll languish here, oh let me show you bliss.

The moon is shining in the inky sky,
Her silver feet, the anchor of the night,
Are harbour bound, the star’s soft lullaby
Sings of romance, embrace the pale moonlight,
For fools are giddy, folly has expense,
Deny my love and you show lack of sense!

The lover’s tarot in the rosy dawn,
Is like a forest full of sweet delight,
Love’s creditors would find you overdrawn, 
If you refuse love’s reason and insight.
I’ll borrow from the moon’s soft fragile air,
So pay love back, the debt is only fair.

My kisses are divine, a treasure rare,
That’s buried on some distant island sand
And how you waste them, though they taste so fair,
Ignore them and they die here at your hand,
My lips that long for yours, their sweet caress,
Adonis, wanting more, I ask for less.

Oh, one short kiss is not so much to ask,
How can you be so cruel and cross with me,
Your face looks like a masquerader’s mask,
Inflexible you hide eternally,
Expressionless you drive me to despair,
For ugly harshness doesn’t belong there.

I’ll show you all the ocean of the night,
The moon a crescent curving in the sky,
The stars will give us spears of silver light
And earth will quake as time slips softly by.
I’ll give you treasures you would not believe,
The sun, the damask rose, so do not leave. 

I’ll bathe you in a sea of almond oil,
The scent of jasmine and of elderflower,
Geranium and gentle pennyroyal,
Will fill the air in this our lover’s bower,   
Until your skin is supple and at ease,
For you I would do anything you please!”
 
How she entreated with her honeyed voice,
As if a bee was buzzing round a hive,
She gave Adonis very little choice
And still her whispered murmur did contrive
To win his kisses, each entreaty graced
With eyes beseeching, hands that interlaced.

Her promises as golden as the sun,
Fell on deaf ears, Adonis was not pleased,
He shook his head, his love had not been won,
Although she pleaded and so deftly teased,
His world was filled with hunting and with sport,
He didn't care to see her so distraught.

The sunlight on the meadows and the glade,
Began to fade, the sunset crimson flame
And Venus felt her heart had been betrayed
To find Adonis didn’t feel the same,
She sighed and languished scarcely seeing sense,
Her agitation desperate and intense.

She wrung her hands, she beat upon her breast,
Her fervent fever scorched the sun drenched hill,
At last she threw herself upon his chest,
Devoid of passion near the shallow rill,
Her spirit broken down, her pages torn,
So like a book a reader throws away,
To rediscover on another day.

Adonis, like a ship that braves a gale
And finds, at last, a haven from the waves,
Storm-tossed and buffeted his canvas sail,
Sea weary and bedraggled by the caves
And vaulting cliffs, yet far from port or land,
As parched as deserts full of drifting sand.

Her sullen silence and her fainting frame,
Embracing him, her limp and listless limbs,
As if a horse had wearily gone lame,
Her pallid brow that blanched like moonlight dims,
When clouds chase over midnight’s darkened skies,
Moved his heart more than all her pleas and sighs.

She sensed a change in him, a breeze that blew,
With new direction now to starboard bound,
Her swimming fever started to renew,
Her swooning figure falling to the ground,
She turned her face to his with eyes that spoke
Her passion by the shelter of an oak.

Adonis saw her pain and misery,
A fawn lost in the forest far from home,
That searches for it’s mother desperately,
Where dangers lurk beneath the forest dome
While night approaches, trembling by a tree,
That startles at each shadow restlessly.

His pity now awoken at her plight,
His own compassion started to assert
And as the sunset faded into night,
His heart grew sad to see her looking hurt
And though reluctant he began to melt
His frosty stance, his fate was swiftly dealt.

Oh fate, that weaves the fabric of all life
And chance, that moves the sage and aged wheel,
As fortune turns elation into strife,
Or tragic misadventures then reveal,
A happy ending, story books of old,
That harbour truths of seers and hearts of gold.

And her heart was a rose, though wildly grown,
An eglantine, once sheltered in the glade,
That grew alone and languished on its own,
As beautiful in daylight as in shade,
Her cheeks like roses in the misty dawn,
That seek warm sunlight with the early morn.

And where the heavens move across the spheres,
Celestial skies, the glimmer of the stars,
That glitter like cold crystals made of tears
And fill the skies from Jupiter to Mars,
The night awoke before the lovers’ eyes,
As sunset falls to dusk and quickly dies.

Enchantment is a wizard at a well,
A silver moon, a song of high romance,
A story of delusion or a knell,
A toadstool ring where fairies sing and dance,
A summer evening filled with foolish dreams,
Where nothing is exactly as it seems.

A bird awoke and flew across the air,
Its eyes like amber beads both bright and keen,
It soared above the fields soaked in despair,
From Venus’ soft tears, a tragic scene,
Where deaf to her entreaties, all alone,
Adonis held his ground, ignored her groan.

The falcon’s smooth ascent, its stealthy flight,
In search of mice, a hunter on the wing,
Disturbed our hero’s horse who then took flight,
His head flung high, all panicked whinnying,
With only a pale moon to bring them light,
Above the darkened furrows of the night.

Adonis saw him rear and lift his hoofs
And snort in proud distain and throw his mane,
As fast as lightning crashes onto roofs
When stormy gales unleash their fiery rain
And thunder bolts bring Jove’s unruly cries,
That tear the tranquil arbour of the skies.

And so the gelding won his noble head,
The reigns were broken falling to the ground,
With frantic neighs and snorts he quickly fled
While basking in the freedom he had found,
He shook his mane and bolted to the trees,
Along the woodland path swift as the breeze.

Adonis watched his antics with concern,
The horse was highly prized and dear to him,
His temper frayed, his head began to burn,
His brow grew black; his cheeks grew white and dim,
While Venus sensed his temper and his ire,
Her dauntless spirit filled with one desire.

Another setback in the quiet glade,
She bit her lip and looked the other way,
Adonis followed where the horse had strayed,
In desperate haste, he needed him to stay,
He whistled and implored, he called his name,
Not knowing what to do or who to blame.

At first the horse ignored his master’s call
And cantered restlessly along the track,
Until he reached a thorn bank by a wall
And then he turned around and doubled back.
The forest dark with creaking, hollow trees
And so the eyes are blind, the ear deceives.

The horse grew fearful of the woodland lane
And jumped at shadows, swerved at every noise,
He galloped faster driven half insane,
His ears turned down, devoid of any poise,
With head held low exhausted in his fear
And in this state he finally drew near.

At last he reached Adonis tired and faint
And threw his head down at his master’s feet,
Adonis, with the patience of a saint,
Subdued him until capture was complete.
He led him to the branches of an oak,
A knot tied in the reins that he had broke.

The horse secure, left grazing on the grass,
Adonis breathed a sigh of deep relief,
The scene of high romance was now a farce,
Where Venus trembled like a fallen leaf,
The moonlight whispered winter melodies,
Emotions distant like the rolling seas.

“Your heart is hard, a lake of frosty ice,
That melts not in the weak and feeble sun,
Adonis your affections have no price,
I’ll not give up until your love is won,
I sink, I cry, I burn feverishly,
I yearn for you through all eternity.

The moon is graceful, silver and benign,
Her sweet seductive breath falls like a net,
Adonis, tell me soon that you’ll be mine
Or my heart dies in sorrow and regret.
Give in Adonis, hear my aching song
And find the haven where our hearts belong.

I’m caught in the enchantment of the night,
I see no sense; I’m empty deep inside,
My sadness is an abyss without light,
You break my heart with all your foolish pride,
My love is real, no vague or misty dream,
My lips are strawberries, my kisses cream.

Exotic fruit to tempt your appetite,
The sweetest figs grown ripe in eastern skies,
From Africa rich mangos to delight,
And grapes from Spain your lips to tantalize,
The wildest shores bring treasures home to me,
Upon tall ships that sail the open sea.

Oh, why so cold? I’m lost, my passion burns,
Your callous hate disturbs me to the core,
Oh, learn to give and you will soon discern,
Love’s golden gifts that leave you wanting more
Am I some sorceress to be ignored?
Adonis, I am here to be adored.”

And so spoke Love with arguments and tears,
With gentle sighs, she wouldn’t take defeat,
Her face all beauty ripened with the years
And Love that fell so crumpled at his feet,
Her eyes were mournful and her figure svelte
And ice in winter sunshine starts to melt.

Adonis, like a sapling in a gale,
That bends and curves with each relentless gust,
Disturbed by too much rain and heavy hail,
His guarded frame of anger and mistrust
Found his compassion blindly seeking her,
To lull the storm, his blood began to stir.

He kissed her deeply on her pouting lips 
And drank sweet wine beguiled by every kiss,
She sank into his arms, the moon’s eclipse
And showed him heaven’s manna, joyful bliss,
Her love was thirsty, full of dark desire
And he was soon engulfed by all her fire.

The moon shone deeper in the fragrant night,
The silver air’s seductive serenade,
Her chariot of pearl, translucent light
That filled the hollows of the lovers glade
And Venus fell into a heavy swoon,
Her face a pale reflection of the moon.

Adonis held her close, her warm embrace,
Had conquered his resistance, won his heart,
He stared in fascination at her face
And something deep inside him fell apart,
At seeing her so lifeless, fast asleep,
He thought her dead and he began to weep.

He lifted her and placed her on his horse,
His thought to seek for shelter, save her life,
And so explorers seek the river’s source,
He guarded her as if she were his wife.
Adventure in a forest filled with shades,
Where darkness fills the leaves as evening fades.

They galloped through the forest near the stream,
Returning to her castle of the sun
And Venus had the very strangest dream,
Where victory was treacherously won,
Her shrines fell broken, Love’s forgotten law,
That left mankind bereft, forever poor.

At last she yawned and opened her blue eyes,
To see Adonis staring down at her,
He drew her close and praised the morning skies,
And kissed her mouth, her mind was in a blur,
Her recollections brought no sense of peace,
As disappointment flowed and wouldn’t cease.

For wanting him with all her heart-felt might,
Those sleepless hours when she knew little rest,
Had left her blinded, desolate as night,
Expecting more of him than she had guessed
And so his love’s devotion little seemed,
His kisses immature, less than she’d dreamed.

She felt betrayed for he could never feel,
The depths of her emotions or desire
And sunlight on the meadows soon would steal
The dawn’s perfection, morning’s amber fire.
His warm elation couldn’t win a smile
And so they galloped on another mile.

The sunlight strengthened in the eastern sky,
Apollo's chariot began to climb,
While fields and meadows past the lovers by,
Who knew no distance or no sense of time,
While Love lay helpless, Love whose long lament
And lavish tears knew only discontent.

Adonis let her sleep within his arms,
The night's enchantment melting with the dawn,
Desiring her, besotted by her charms,
In love with life and vivid as the morn,
Her lips like roses, summer's sunny hours,
Her cheeks as delicate as spring-time flowers.

Their story like a sand timer that breaks,
The sands that fall and softly flow away,
With depth of feeling so the heart awakes
And morning's light must quickly change to day.
The clouded heavens sullen and forlorn,
With somber skies, horizons tossed and torn.

Her castle soon drew close, Venus awoke,
She kissed Adonis glad to find him near,
He warmed her in the caverns of his cloak
She brushed away a solitary tear.
"Sweet Venus, all you said of love is true.
Today I hunt, tonight I'll spend with you."

"Stay here today, oh, spend your time with me."
She now beseeched, "Don't leave me on my own.
I yearn for you through all eternity.
How can I bear to be so left alone?
A storm draws near, leave hunting for awhile."
She drew him closer with her sweetest smile.

Adonis wouldn't listen to her pleas.
His mind was set, he wouldn't change his ways,
He set her down beside some leafy trees,
For hunting was his pleasure through the days.
"I'll not be long, I'll see you very soon,
Why love is for the night and not the noon!"

At this our queen laughed loudly and at length,
Oh, love is timeless knows not day or night,
Know love is weakness, love is also strength,
If I cannot persuade you or ignite,
Your passion here the gods will jibe and jest
And say poor Venus is beyond her best!"

She let him go with kisses and a pout,
To see him off her mind was not at rest,
A premonition filled her heart with doubt,
A sorry tale she fell upon his chest,
"Adonis, I implore you not to go,
I see a nightmare filled with tears and woe."

"Another ploy! I pray you, leave me be,"
Adonis wouldn't stop or hear her cry. 
He strode up to his gelding heedlessly,
Avoided looking in her tearful eye.
"My mind is set, enough, my love, you rave,
Sweet Venus, I'm a man and not your slave."

"Adonis, I am fearful, fate is real.
How can I stop you, how win you around?
Oh, listen to my words and strong appeal,
Today I see love crashing to the ground.
There's thunder in the clouds, Jove brings his hate,
Don't risk your life it isn't yet too late."

"You dream of passion, dream of blissful times,
I long to hunt, why love is not for men,
I hearken to the churches morning chimes,
I pray you do not ask me this again.
Go rest awhile, I swear I'll not be long,
Forget your woman's weakness now be strong."

She shivered to the core and tore her hair,
"Adonis this is not another trick,
I'm scared to find you mauled by some old bear,
In caves or forests where the woods are thick,
I pray, please listen, you're my loves delight,
Don't turn our love from day to darkest night."

"Oh, danger brings excitement to the game,
Sweet Venus, leave me be, let me decide."
He started to grow angry like a flame,
His hunting was his life and all his pride.
Her arguments seemed flawed to him and tame,
They never could agree or feel the same.

"I see the dark of night without you there,
I pray, Adonis, please don't think to go,
The fates send warning in this fickle air,
You'll bring the winter with her heavy snow.
Stay here with me, oh, don't let us so fight,
The future can be kind to us and bright.

Adonis pursed his lips and shook his head,
I've had enough, the sun is getting high,
I have no wish to spend the day in bed,
I love to hunt beneath the open sky.
Sweet Venus, rest, I'll see you later on,
You make me cross, I pray, now please be gone."   

"How can I leave you, how ignore your plight?
You are my destiny, my love, my life,
My trepidation fills me with insight,
I see grave danger tearing us in strife.
Oh, don't ignore me or you'll drive me mad,
This vision is so sorrowful and sad.

How can I let you go when hell draws near,
Let heaven's lamps illuminate my fears,
Until you heed to reason, start to hear,
My arguments so filled with aching tears.
I see a shadow drawing us apart,
Oh, listen love, I'm speaking from the heart." 

"Give in to me or die," she softly cried,
"My heart grows weak I know not what to do,
You are my strength, my love, my heart," she sighed,
"Don't leave me to grow cold away from you.
I cannot stand to watch you walk away,
For I am sure you'll not return today."

"Such foolish dreams," Adonis didn't care;
"You're lacking reason, lacking simple sense,
A few short hours are not a lot to spare,"
His anger now was heated and intense.
"Sweet Venus, you would wrap me up in chains,
As damaging as storms and heavy rains."

"I'm going there is nothing you can say,
To change my path, your arguments are flawed,
You cannot stop me, I refuse to stay,
I leave you now, there's nothing untoward.
Relax, unwind your thoughts are strange and wild,
Pray, treat me like a man and not a child."

"Forget the hunt, stay with me, don't depart,
I've such grave doubts, give in, stay here for now,
You burdon the affection of my heart,
With heavy weight, I don't care where or how.
I only wish to save you from such fate,
That will destroy you, please don't be irrate."

"Oh, listen to my lovers heart-felt whim,
Don't hunt today, I'm sure my fears are just,
To lose you now would be too harsh and grim,
Oh, heed my warning for I'm sure you must.
Give in Adonis, spend the day with me,
I'll show you all love's wealth and ecstacy."

"I'll drown you in my kisses fragrant stream,
Protect you from Jove's anger and despair,
You'll wonder if you sleep or if you dream,
I'll show you riches you cannot compare,
With any mortal gift, give in to love
And know of peaceful days and joys above."

"Adonis, can't I tempt you, change your mind?
Can nothing save you from the gloomy storm?
Give in to me, such treasures you will find,
I'll keep you safe, I'll hold you close and warm.
Believe in love, it is no mystery,
I fear that I can't change your history."

"Oh, destiny brings terror in her wake,
No joy to find, only a senseless waste,
Stay here with me, I beg you, for my sake,
Pray, think awhile, pray, don't depart in haste."
She sank upon her knees, held out her hands,
Her sorrow grew like deserts full of sands.

Her sorrow grew, Oh, Love lay weak and tired,
Distraught and wistful knowing fate was cruel,
Her will was strong, her arguments inspired
By fear of losing him and like a fool
Adonis wouldn't heed her firm advice,
Alas for him there was no higher price.

How could he know the fate awaiting him?
How could he guess the torment and the tears
That Venus wept, the nights so dark and grim,
Without him near, the truth behind her fears?
How know that death already on his way
Drew closer still upon this stormy day?

How guess that winter hours would steal his breath
To strike him down when he stood in his prime?
Unthinkable that youth should meet hard death
And poetry now weeps for him in rhyme.
A song that sings of rapture must await
The darkest depths of tragedy and fate.

The darkest depths, a sad and tearful trial,
Where love finds loss so comfortless and dire,
While roses turned to dust cannot beguile
And blissful moments fall and quickly tire.
No rhyme or reason, death's destructive face
That rides with the excitement of the chase.

How sadly Venus looked into his eyes,
Round and besotted, grave and full of mist,
Afraid, beneath the brooding, darkened skies
Of unexpected endings with a twist.
While fate could find no future for this pair,
Though one was handsome, one a goddess fair.

Oh, mortal man believes time has no end
And youth knows only strength beneath the sun,
He sees no dangers, nothing can descend
To bring him down, life is but endless fun.
Adonis felt this way, knew little fear,
His days alike as spring is to the year.

No autumn, only fresh and sunny days,
For youth is like a fountain full of light,
Where sunshine spills an ocean in the haze
That knows only of laughter not of night.
Adonis, like so many of his age,
Knew only strength, the world was all his stage.

Death seemed so distant, never close to hand,
For youth sees life, sees loneliness with age,
Youth lives forever, stories rich and grand,
Exhilaration quickly turns the page,
An early chapter in a lengthy book
And life that death unquestionably took.

For death is unexpected to the young,
For hoary elders in their winter years,
Whose lives are lived, have stories fully sung
And who are ready, shedding heavy tears.
Oh, death is not for youth, death stay away,
For death delivers night and steals from day.

Still Venus tried to stop him going out
To meet the chill of morbid, lurid death,
She pointed to her castle, full of doubt,
Persuading him to stay with every breath.
"Adonis, I cannot bid you farewell,
Oh, fear the forest, fear the gloomy dell."

"My castle will protect you from all harm,
My guards defend the walls with every hour,
The moat is tranquil filled with peace and calm,
While sentrys stand upon each high-walled tower,
Oh, join me, I will order you a feast,
With luxuries from the exotic east."

"My mind is set, I live only for sport,
Sweet Venus, speak no more, I pray be still,
Enough, I'll soon be gone, for time is short,
The sun will soon be high above the hill,"
He dropped her hands and turned his face away,
"There's nothing else that you can do or say."

"I pray , don't vex me with your hot demands,
I've had enough, the hunt will soon begin,
I will not listen to your high commands,
Sweet Venus, know that I will not give in.
You torture me with all your plans and schemes,
You live in fairy land with crazy dreams."

"Your fears ungrounded, full of sorry loss
And sad laments, there is no truth to find,
You're driven senseless, how you turn and toss,
I think that you will slowly lose your mind.
It saddens me to see you so forlorn,
I go to hunt upon this mirthless morn."

He lept upon his horse and kicked his heels,
Poor Venus tried to stop him, all too late,
He wouldn't listen to her strong appeals,
She called him back, she wanted him to wait.
"Adonis, I will bury you tonight,
Oh, leave the hunt stay here within my sight." 

He galloped off past fields and lines of trees,
Ignored her last entreaties, left her there,
He felt the wind, no longer but a breeze
Upon his face and pulling back his hair,
Intoxicated, full of iron will
And firm resolve, no one could hold him still.

The hunt would soon begin, he'd little time,
He hurried on to meet them near the hill,
He urged the gelding on, began to climb,
Oblivious to danger in the chill.
They greeted him with smiles and friendly nods,
He felt as confident as Roman gods.

The hounds were howling, eager to depart,
The horsemen circled round, one blew a horn,
It wouldn't now be long until the start,
An idle pastime in the dewy morn.
A stallion reared high upon his hooves,
Beside a wizened oak tree full of grooves.

The scene was set, descending to the vales,
They started off, excitement filled the air,
The hounds spread out across the mossy dales,
Adonis followed on without a care.
They headed for the mountains far away,
To hunt for bears beyond the sheltered bay.

In stony caverns off the beaten track,
Their caves lay distant, far from man or beast,
In verdant mountain valleys, driven back,
The grisly bear, they planned a lavish feast.
Long weary miles, they journeyed ever on,
Where sunlight barely knew and hardly shone.

Through forests tall and woodland laced in green,
Past streams that shivered in the morning light,
Past groves and pastures huddled in between
And sheep upon the hills of palest white.
They journeyed on, the huntsmen and the pack,
A few short hours and then they would head back.

Adonis saw no danger, saw no doom,
With nerves of hardest steel both strong and brave,
While Jove thundered above in cloudy gloom,
Forgetting the entreaties Venus gave,
He thought no more of Venus and her fear,
How Jove so warned, the message loud and clear.

For what could make him anxious or so doubt,
He stood a man resplendent in his youth,
As headstrong as is nature, tall and stout,
How could he so suspect so hard a truth,
To fall and lose his life, no little chance,
Why life was there to live, to sing and dance!

And man must live for sport, it is his way,
While women trap with love and artful wiles,
A man must conquer all, defeat the day,
Not spend his hours enamoured by their wiles.
Adonis was all muscle, his physique
Detached and strong, nothing of him was weak.

Adventure and the forest called him forth
And these he loved, they had been all he'd known,
He liked the toughness of the bitter north
More than love's riches which he had been shown
And though she tempted him he loved the wild,
While her ways petty seemed, too soft and mild.

They travelled on, the sky hung low and dense,
With scattered, brooding clouds that thundered by,
Loud Jove unleashed his cries, the men grew tense,
As lightning blanched the branches near the sky.
A warning from the gods to human kind,
Alas, Adonis was both deaf and blind.

Immortal gods, oh, human, mortal man,
As strong as bone, as weak as drifts of sand,
Born with the scented breeze when time began,
In ancient days across the windswept lands.
As old as times bedraggled, weary face,
Enamoured by life's wonder and life's grace.

His draft of life was short and bitter sweet,
A honey mead of passion in the night,
By day, adventure in the noon day heat,
A ship that ventured out both strong and bright.
His future lay in doubt beyond the caves,
That mocked the song of youth's bright, sunny staves.

The mountain pastures stretched for miles around,
They galloped on, past fields and airy hills,
The dogs fell silent, scarcely made a sound,
They rode past meadows and by lonely rills.
Intent upon the purpose of the chase,
Adonis' hot pulse began to race.

The sun was at its highest point of rest,
The day was cold, clouds trembled in the sky,
Apollo started drifting to the west
And nothing looked inviting to the eye.
Adonis little thought, ignored the signs,
Intent upon the chase beneath the pines.

The mountain air intoxicated him,
So fresh and pure, a clouded frozen mist,
His glass was filled up to the very brim,
He felt alive, could not expect the twist
Of hateful fate, could not expect to die,
Beneath the gloomy temple of the sky.

The hounds picked up a scent, began to bay,
Excitement shivered through the very air,
Along the mountain path of stony grey,
There strayed a hungry, savage grisly bear.
The hunters search had met with great success,
The bear was prized, the humble boar far less.

Adonis felt his blood begin to cool,
He took the lead and headed up the hill
And heedlessly he grew to be a fool,
The bear a danger in the brutal chill.
Impulsive, he did not think now to wait,
Or how death followed bringing a cold fate.

His eager friends stood back and urged him on,
Adonis was their hero, strong and tall,
How could they guess that he would soon be gone,
The bear would scare his horse and make him fall.
A tragic ending to this lengthy tale,
How ever guess their leader would so fail.

Adonis showed no fear was all a man,
He plunged his dagger at the desperate bear,
Alas, he missed, unsettling his plan,
The creature growled and gave a haunting stare.
Adonis lunged again, alas, his steed,
Plunged to the side, fell in the marshy mead.
 
Meanwhile, poor Venus wept beneath the sun,
To watch him go, she sadly turned for home,
Her nerves were tattered, all her dreams undone,
Her altars fell to ashes far in Rome,
Oh, love could not accept such bitter fate
And savagely his loss she must berate.

The more she thought, the more she felt afraid
And terrified of loss she wrung her hands,
She pulled her tresses wishing he had stayed,
Her tears sent shivers all across the lands.
At last, she thought to follow, save him yet,
Before the winter sun began to set.

She called to her attendants, had them bring
Her swiftest horse, intent on following,
The castle bells began to peal and ring,
A heavy toll, all chimes and thundering.
Sweet Venus, full of haste, no time to lose,
Could not await the sad, untimely news.

Instead she hoped to change his mind once more,
Although her best attempts had been in vain,
She stood impatiently beside the door,
Her thoughts of him were driving her insane.
At last the horse was saddled, set to go,
Alas, cold winter brought the bitter snow.

She soon pursued him, anxious and distraught,
Like heaven's wrath with angry, salty tears,
She knew death wrode in silence, all his thought,
To steal from her, augment her deathly tears.
She hoped to reach Adonis, keep him warm
And save him from cold death's unhappy storm.

There was no time to lose, she flew as fast,
As birds upon the wing, as light as air,
Her blood ran cold as ice, skies overcast,
The weather echoed all her great despair.
She heard Jove's sullen warnings thunder out
And knew there could be very little doubt.

Her premonition was no mad conceit,
She guessed the truth, how death was closing in,
His stealthy steps brought havoc and deceipt,
Adonis stood no chance, could never win.
The youth besotted Venus held so dear,
Oh, death laughed loudly, knew his time was near.

She reached the mountain pastures, saw their tracks,
They'd soon be close, a mile or so ahead,
The mountain paths were steep and full of cracks
And Venus followed full of fear and dread.
To lose her lover now would tear her down
And bring oceans of tears the earth to drown.

The silence of the mountains made her stop,
She thought she was too late, Adonis dead,
Her weeping filled the hills and drowned the crops,
It blanched her cheeks and filled her soul with lead.
"Adonis go no further, leave the chase,
Oh, leave this dark, forsaken, empty place."

Oh, death, destroyer, brings his hellish groan,
She hated him, his cloak and hood of black,
She sensed him near and shivered to the bone,
She roused her horse to speed up on the track.
Too soon, too late, her heart beat raced away,
The darkest voyage upon the darkest day.

Her strong imagination drew but ill,
She shuddered in her saddle, drew short breath,
For blood is not designed to gush and spill,
She faced her fear and all her fear was death.
Oh, love that brought a peaceful interlude,
Now feared harsh death was planning to intrude.

And seeing only visions of him dead,
Poor Venus paled, her face was white and gaunt,
Her fainting heart was broken and her head
With fever filled, on this unholy jaunt.
Hysterical and wild she knew no peace,
As sorrows flowed and never seemed to cease.

As sorrows flowed, poor queen to dread such loss,
The man that she'd seduced the night before
And jealous of cruel death so close ahead
Who planned to steal her love and close the door
That could have led to peacefulness and calm,
Sweet lovers' hours with heaven's sweetest balm.

She journeyed on alone, a mirthless maid,
To find Adonis in the mountains high
And death brought darkness with his earthy shade,
That dimmed the furthest reaches of the sky
And all her troubles tore the land apart,
For such was the unrest that filled her heart.

High in the mountain pastures she took rest,
At first her fears gave way, the world seemed grim,
She threw herself upon her heaving breast
And rivers full of tears were shed for him.
Her loud lament unhinged the very sky,
Poor Venus shook, afraid that he would die.

"Oh, death, how can you treat me in this way,
You bring your hate, destroy the very earth,
To take my love away from me today,
For love should sing of joy and happy mirth.
Adonis is too young to see your face,
Oh, stay in hell far from this windswept place.

For he is heaven's manna, heaven's joy,
His beauty famed across the weary land,
Oh, choose some elder not this handsome boy,"
His loss was something she could not withstand,
"For youth should live and age pines out for you,
You know my words are sage and very true."

"Don't take my love, I yearn to feel him near,
He is my morning, all my precious night,
He is my life, you know I hold him dear,
Adonis is a lily pale and white.
Too frail to face your ruthless, hellish call,
I pray to you, do not let him now fall."

She was beside herself with deep regret,
So full of heavy woe and weary grief,
She knew that soon the sun would start to set,
So strong was her compulsion and belief
That death walked near, she shivered to the soul,
Oh, nothing could her heart or mind console.

Her spirit worn to dust, her face so pale,
So many months her thoughts of him alone,
To lose him now in this unruly gale,
Too harsh a fate, it chilled her to the bone.
Oh, anything to stop the path of death,
Who planned to steal her lovers very breath.


She saw the hunt ahead, her hope ran high,
A mile ahead upon the moutain track,
She praised the gods, she praised the dismal sky,
The huntsmen were all riding with the pack.
She'd soon catch up, she'd save Adonis yet,
Before Apollo had begun to set.

She swore she wouldn't fail, she'd win him round,
Determined not to lose him once again,
Her pulse sped up, her heart began to pound,
A story full of sadness for my pen.
A tragedy that love should perish so,
When love is meant to give and then to grow.

She watched him fall, she gasped, now filled with fear,
Her doubts surged back, she soon was at his side,
She clasped her hands, she wiped away a tear,
She rolled her eyes as heavy as the tide.
She was in shock, she kissed his listless frame,
She blamed the gods, she called him by his name.

"Adonis, do you sleep, oh, look at me,
The colour's faded from your handsome face,
My tears will fill the chasms of the sea,
Oh, feel my lips, oh, feel my warm embrace.
I cannot lose you now, you must not go,
My eyes are brimmed with tears that overflow."

She realised he was dead with heavy breath,
As if the skies collapsed before her gaze,
For all that she had dreaded was his death,
She stared at him, her thoughts were in a haze,
For everything she yearned for now had left
And she felt lonely, tired and bereft.

"The songs I would have sung beneath the sky,
Are lost to man, my love is all destroyed,
The words are gone the meaning must now die,
My love was there for us to have enjoyed.
Adonis there's no sun, no silver moon,
No morn or morrow, only sorrow's tune.

Cold destiny has stolen you away
From my warm breast, has broken me apart,
How can I face another weary day,
Without you locked against my aching heart.
Oh, love, I am distraught, my need was great
And death has taken you, it was your fate."

She wrung her hands, she wept, fell to the ground
As tides of grief stormed through her graceful frame,
Her sorrow was a river without sound,
A silent figure falling limp and lame.
Her eyes a stormy vision full of pain,
His lifeless figure washed in tearful rain.

You break my heart, I have no wish to live,
Without you near, your love was everything,
Death's taken you, I've nothing left to give,
Except my tears where tragedy must sing.
A doleful song, for you have died indeed,
Upon the gentle grasses of the mead.

Adonis, how I warned you, how implored,
How called you back, how hoped to win you round,
Oh, know your handsome face I so adored
And now I've lost what only lately found.
Your face is deathly pale, your beauty dies
And nothing can console my heavy sighes.

And so Love stormed in anger and distaste,
With heavy heart, unhappy, fruitless seed,
In agony to find such senseless waste,
She then railed death for such a heartless deed.
While darkness filled the skies with heavy weight
And thunder rolled, the hour was getting late.

With bitter cries she urged him still to stay,
As though the sky fell down and wept with her,
Then in the meadow where Adonis lay
Poor Venus willed her lover yet to stir.
"Come back to me, don't fade into the night,
Oh, turn your eyes to heaven's golden light.

Awake Adonis, how I miss your eyes,
That manful stare, I'm blinded, deaf and cold,
Your beauty lit the idylls of the skies,
To lose it now, too tragic, stories told
Of loss that's too unspeakable to bear,
Oh, I am caught in realms of dark despair.

Your cheeks are deathly white and lacking blood,
Your eye is still, your lips are drawn and pale,
Oh, how I hate to see you in the mud,
Oh, how could love so want and how so fail.
I should have saved your life, not let you go,
Oh, see the fields are drowning in my woe."

Her face was crumpled, lightning filled the sky,
She scarcely knew the hour or day or time,
Or understood the reason, where or why,
Their story now of sadness, joyless rhyme,
Her love was greater than she ever knew,
Her eyes like mists of tender, teary dew.

Oh, fortune is evasive, bitter-sweet,
She gives and then she takes with no remorse,
She paves the way in gold before our feet
And flows like a great river from its source.
Oh, fortune failed Adonis, brought cruel fate,
Poor Venus filled with sadness and with hate.

"Without you I have little will to live,
You were my sunshine, summer's scented rose,
Your death like winter, all I had to give,
Is drowned beneath the heavy, drifting snows.
You were as spring, a burning, vibrant flame,
Poor innocent, my words fall weak and lame."

Near where Adonis lay a tree took root,
A winter oak to symbolize the years
And though it started as a tiny shoot,
It soon grew strong with water from her tears.
Memorial of his untimely loss,
Its strength and beauty carpeted in moss.

"Oh, look at what cold death has sadly brought,
The heartache and the pain of bitter tears,
My alters break, I'm lost, I am distraught,
For love is not the shrine that it appears.
Let mortal man discover my despair
And know of desolation's heavy care."

With this she turned around, her grief gave way
And Love stood comfortless with heavy heart,
While nothing now could ease her deep dismay,
Her sorrow burned, the world must fall apart.
The Queen of Love had never known such woe,
Engulfed in seas of tears that overflow.

A story of romance, Adonis dead,
A broken man of mortal flesh and bone,
A single rose of fiery, ruby red,
A heavy heart left burdoned and alone.
The sadness of her mournful, doting eyes,
The desolation of her sobs and sighs.

Oh, pity her, a goddess brought so low,
Whose love enriched the earth and knew no end,
Immortal love, far stronger than we know,
That shelters, still protects and must defend,
All chivalry, the conquests and amours,
Who answers heart-felt prayers in Love's arbours.

My stories sung, the ending brings no peace,
A tragic tale of sadness and despair,
Her tears plague heaven, finding no release,
Her body wracked with grief and heavy care.
Oh, nothing could appease her heart-felt groan,
While Love is left unhappy and alone.