WITH that she rose, Athene at her side, Both hurrying back; but Cypris made her way Along the Olympus valleys. There she tried To find him, and there she found him, far removed In the deep garden of Zeus, not lonely, at play With Ganymede, whose beauty Zeus so loved He enskied him in the Immortals' house for ever. And there the same as any other boys Like-minded in their joys They played with golden knucklebones; the greedy Eros his left hand holding full already, The palm just under his breast; erect he stood, His bright cheeks blushing in a happy fever. The other dumbly knelt and sulked beside him, Had two bones left, threw one, the other next, Angry at Eros shouting to deride him, And lost them like the rest; he went perplexed And empty-handed away, blind as he went To Cypris coming. But she touched the chin Of her child, stopping by him: 'And why grin, You utter rogue?' she asked, 'and have you cheated Like that? it wasn't fairly you defeated The little innocent! But come and do the work that I want done, And I will give you Zeus's favourite toy, The one dear Adrasteia made, his nanny In Ida cave, and him a tiny boy, -- A nice round ball, nicer you'd not get any, Even if old Hephaestus gave you one.' | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...COMMEMORATION ODE READ AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY by JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL REMEMBER OR FORGET by C. HAMILTON AIDE THE WANDERING JEW by PIERRE JEAN DE BERANGER THREE by LOUISA SARAH BEVINGTON L'INDIFFERENT; WATTEAU; THE LOUVRE by KATHERINE HARRIS BRADLEY VIOLIN AND VIOLA by RICHARD EUGENE BURTON ON DR. JOHN DONNE, LATE DEANE OF S. PAULES, LONDON by I. CHUDLEIGH |