Odysseus in Contemplation
Odysseus in Contemplation of His Homecoming to Ithaca and Reunion with Queen Penelope
Far away from our ancient moor,
I hear her voice call for my soul
and uplift me to heaven's door!
Can whispers like hers divinely toll,
commanding me onto our shore
like a god that reads from a scroll?
I sailed the seas and wandered afar,
from her and from all that was known;
and with only the bright North Star
to safely guide me through wind-blown
waves, I now cruise with the polestar
to at last return all alone.
Heaven and earth, and all marine,
no longer can more divide us;
and even the gods' wrathful spleen
cannot hinder my victorious
journey to Penelope, my queen:—
whose renown is her faithfulness!
By Ngoc Nguyen
From: United States