From Megara to Heracles

From your loving and once your happy wife Are a few futile, desperate words, In hopes the fortune-bearing herald sings A song that reaches through Hades gloom. May swift-footed Hermes travel with speed, And aid in my urgent message to you, And to fly quickly past all his delays. May he prompt you my love, to answer soon. If my note has reached you swiftly and well, Read on of your destroyed Cadmean wife, Read on of all of your ruined children Read on of your elder, Amphitryon. A vile snake has coiled the city of Thebes! A base and sly Lycus sought after blood. My blood and my king stood without a chance The coward struck my feeble father dead. And now my love, the worst is yet to come, In fear, the deadly Lycus storms our home To spread his bloodied hands along our walls, To close the circle Creon’s blood did start. We sit in fear, our weary group of five Upon the altar of Zeus the Soter No drink or food has passed our lips in days To ease the pain of our lost Heracles. First I will speak of your small children, three Who tug at my robes without their father. They jump at the sound of a creaking door Or any sound that could mean your return. “Where is our father, where has he gone now?” They ask of their mother who holds them tight. Those little lost boats floating in the tide, Not understanding of your long labors. Next I will speak of your aging father Who calls on the gods to rescue our kin. His futile pleas are hard to hold my gaze As I fear our small, wretched lot is doomed. At last your Megara is not all fine She trembles at inevitable death. Yet she stands tall, awaiting your return While despair is creeping not all too far. Where are you my love, my hero, my friend? Have the depths of Hades swallowed you whole? Have the jaws of Cerberos held you down? Has the darkness kept you from our rescue? Wherever you are, I beg you return With haste to rescue your kin from slaughter To save your small three from blood lusty kings From cowards looking to cleanse stolen land. Wherever you are, return to me live With haste to rescue your wife from her death To save your father what time he has left From shifty-eyed rulers who know no good. My father of late, old Creon, was wise A celebrated man of good fortune A strong ruler who blessed me with marriage Marriage to the famous Heracles, you. My man of no fortune, few possessions My man of great fame, great courage, great gall. My man who displeased great Hera, divine My man who is sent on great journeys long. Please return now from your three-headed dog From the darkness that pulled you from mortals. Help us my love, to escape certain death A savior from unfortunate ancestors. My heart tells me that a man who has done Such heroic things, the hydra, the bull Shall receive my message from up above From the land where your children cower now. Though my head tells me truth, that you shant come, For your appearance in this time of need Would be of divine work, would prove fortune And our circumstances show that not true. And since, my love, you shant return to me, Inspired by the thought of my coming death I will say to you all the sweet nothings That were yet to escape my lips for you. Fear guides my hand, but love makes true my words. Love that rules all, and bewitches the gods. Love made great Hera seek wrath unto you And ho! Think what it may do to mortals. At first sight, my heart sank when we married. My father gifting me away to you, I believed you to be a pompous fool. Oh! How I was wrong that one fateful day. I came to know you, my true Heracles, A heart to trust you proved to be. A man whom songs are sung of, praises too For your glory is known throughout our world. And now your lion-topped head and your back Are mine to call my own, and mine alone. Your strength is unmatched if those ugly beasts Are any evidence of your splendor. You are truly a product of your kin Of your one mortal Taphian-slayer And your other divine lightening-thrusting. A true reflection of your fathers, two. Both so courageous, both so very strong. Both raised you well, both what was wrong. Yet neither would know after not so long, That you would be snatched from us all, just gone. Yet now not your glory or fathers’ hold Can return you to your loving children. We wait here hopelessly in your absence. Wishing thoughtlessly you will now appear. But Ho, my love! Please prove me to be wrong. Come hither and show us your many strengths. For if you do not appear to us soon, Your beloveds are surely dead tonight. As I do not believe my note will reach Into the depths of Hades where you rest, I will take our fair tugboats in our home And give them a dignified dress for death. I prepare my fair children for marriage. Marriage to swift Nymphs of death they will have Instead of sweet princesses dawned in white. No Grecian woman will they love at all. Take care, my sweet Heracles, travel with haste! Prove me wrong in my shallow disbelief. Show our sweet children a life past young age Your wife and old father a life with you. May wrath-induced Hera take pity here, Take pity on our sad predicament. May grey-eyed Athena take pity here, Help her battle-trained Heracles use wit. If my words do not reach you, or my plea Maybe death will welcome our love below. Our family could thrive stronger in death, We could all laugh at Lycus from Hades. Imagine me, dear love, not scared and weak Not trembling near my chicks and father. Picture us happy and strong with smiles on Waiting happily in sun and true warmth!