Spring sunlight filters through new leaves <br />in this wood near Athens; <br />the ozone of the sea not far away <br />livens the nostrils of the hopeful student <br />pausing in front of the marble columns. <br /> <br />The pause is a departure and an arrival: <br />there’s dust on his sandals; <br />he’s come from far away; <br />who knows how far? <br /> <br />How many times has his spirit <br />been washed by Lethe’s oblivion? <br />That forgetting which by grace <br />may lead to a remembering? <br /> <br />The student and the columns of the portico <br />shining white in their new marble in the sunlight, <br />both for a moment still; yet <br />in another world, the spirit of the student <br />and the spirit of the Academy itself <br />fly to meet each other; <br />the goddess, bare arms open, <br />greets her worshipper of truth. <br /> <br />We the Chorus, witnessing the beauty of this scene <br />indescribable; immortal; full of truth, <br />speak of the gods who watch eternally; <br />recall in measured words <br />Odysseus, returning to his homeland; <br />his mind, like his faithful dog, <br />waking to its long awaited master.<br /><br />Michael Shepherd<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/act-one-scene-one-a-wood-near-athens/
