566
Selections from “The Balm of Syria: The Song of Zenobia”, along with selections from “The Regicide of Odenathus: The Madness of Ashur-ben Hamal”
~~~~~~~~
Palmyra, an empire of beauty
An empire of the damned
It shall be lost to the ages
Lost to the shifting sands
“My dear, sweet lady Zenobia
I pray someday you’ll understand
Deep down? I feel nothing
And now they’ll all be damned”
The queen thereof was Zenobia
The balm of the Syrian waste
‘Tween Ctesiphon and the Bosporus
A woman of wealth and taste
“I tried to make you see me
A man who loved you complete
I thought that without your husband
I wouldn’t have to compete”
Her husband Odenathus ruled
King of the Palmyrian lands
Til the assassin’s blade found him
And death took his hand
“I killed your man Odenathus
That you would beholden to me
But instead you took your vows
A pillar of light and chastity”
She took from her son full regency
Ruled Palmyra with fairness and strength
Built an empire that rivaled the Romans
In scope and size and length
“So I dealt with Emperor Aurelian
I brought his legions to bear
So that I could bring you to Rome
To hold and love and care”
She provoked the rage of Aurelian
Her empire grew too broad
The legions poured from the Bosporus
To pillage, raid and maraud
“Oh, don’t look at me that way
You know I would kill again
Just the thought of your visage and beauty
A balm in the destruction of men”
Seventy thousand stood with her
Against the Roman legionnaires
The desert winds bring the scent of death
Life and death laid bare
“None of this had to happen
Odenathus would still be alive
Now I’m a traitor and a madman
Remembered as a regicide”
The legions go back ‘cross the Bosporus
Leaving thousands dead and in pain
Now the fire will devour Palmyra
With the balm of Syria in chains
“So, give yourself to me
Take my hand, I’ll take you away
I will love you, my lady Zenobia
I will love you, my lady Zenobia”
Palmyra, an empire of beauty
Left smoking and grossly profaned
An empire left in ruins
Its queen never seen again
~~~~~~~~
Odenathus was the king of Palmyra (modern-day Syria) from 260-267 AD. He stood with the Romans against the Persian empire, and by the end of his reign, had conquered most of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. He was assassinated in 267 under mysterious circumstances. His wife Zenobia assumed the throne after his death, officially as regent for her underage son Vaballathus. Instead of ruling under the Romans, as her husband did, she began attacking Roman provinces in Egypt and Turkey, and by 270, had conquered a swath of land stretching the length between the two. She named herself empress in 272, officially declaring a split from Rome. The Roman emperor Aurelian invaded later that year, and after heavy fighting, defeated the Palymrian army. He besieged the capital Palmyra, and captured the queen Zenobia in 273. Zenobia was taken back to Rome, to participate in Aurelian’s official triumph. She was kept in captivity until her death in 274.
There are many different histories of these events, and no two sources can agree on every detail. Thus, there have been countless plays, novels, and other literary interpretations over the years. In my adaptation, I decided to write a new character, Ashur-ben Hamal, to be the main instigator in bringing down Odenathus, because of his love for the queen Zenobia. It is he who betrays the queen to Aurelian, so that he could bring her to Rome. I interspersed the two fictional poems I wrote; “The Balm of Syria” and “The Regicide of Odenathus” in counterpoint, so that each could tell a different part of the story at the same time. The Balm of Syria tells the historical account, and The Regicide of Odenathus tells the madness sustained by Ashur-ben Hamal, and how he sacrificed an entire empire to have the one he loved. In this story, Ashur-ben is the one who betrays Zenobia into Aurelian's hands, so that he could take her to Rome against her will.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cheers all, this is my entry for the Love Poem contest. I thought about writing something normal, then I thought "nah". So here's a historical epic poem about a fictional man who fell in love with the queen Zenobia. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 371 words.
~~~~~~~~
Palmyra, an empire of beauty
An empire of the damned
It shall be lost to the ages
Lost to the shifting sands
“My dear, sweet lady Zenobia
I pray someday you’ll understand
Deep down? I feel nothing
And now they’ll all be damned”
The queen thereof was Zenobia
The balm of the Syrian waste
‘Tween Ctesiphon and the Bosporus
A woman of wealth and taste
“I tried to make you see me
A man who loved you complete
I thought that without your husband
I wouldn’t have to compete”
Her husband Odenathus ruled
King of the Palmyrian lands
Til the assassin’s blade found him
And death took his hand
“I killed your man Odenathus
That you would beholden to me
But instead you took your vows
A pillar of light and chastity”
She took from her son full regency
Ruled Palmyra with fairness and strength
Built an empire that rivaled the Romans
In scope and size and length
“So I dealt with Emperor Aurelian
I brought his legions to bear
So that I could bring you to Rome
To hold and love and care”
She provoked the rage of Aurelian
Her empire grew too broad
The legions poured from the Bosporus
To pillage, raid and maraud
“Oh, don’t look at me that way
You know I would kill again
Just the thought of your visage and beauty
A balm in the destruction of men”
Seventy thousand stood with her
Against the Roman legionnaires
The desert winds bring the scent of death
Life and death laid bare
“None of this had to happen
Odenathus would still be alive
Now I’m a traitor and a madman
Remembered as a regicide”
The legions go back ‘cross the Bosporus
Leaving thousands dead and in pain
Now the fire will devour Palmyra
With the balm of Syria in chains
“So, give yourself to me
Take my hand, I’ll take you away
I will love you, my lady Zenobia
I will love you, my lady Zenobia”
Palmyra, an empire of beauty
Left smoking and grossly profaned
An empire left in ruins
Its queen never seen again
~~~~~~~~
The History of Zenobia, Odenathus, and Aurelian
Odenathus was the king of Palmyra (modern-day Syria) from 260-267 AD. He stood with the Romans against the Persian empire, and by the end of his reign, had conquered most of Anatolia and Mesopotamia. He was assassinated in 267 under mysterious circumstances. His wife Zenobia assumed the throne after his death, officially as regent for her underage son Vaballathus. Instead of ruling under the Romans, as her husband did, she began attacking Roman provinces in Egypt and Turkey, and by 270, had conquered a swath of land stretching the length between the two. She named herself empress in 272, officially declaring a split from Rome. The Roman emperor Aurelian invaded later that year, and after heavy fighting, defeated the Palymrian army. He besieged the capital Palmyra, and captured the queen Zenobia in 273. Zenobia was taken back to Rome, to participate in Aurelian’s official triumph. She was kept in captivity until her death in 274.
There are many different histories of these events, and no two sources can agree on every detail. Thus, there have been countless plays, novels, and other literary interpretations over the years. In my adaptation, I decided to write a new character, Ashur-ben Hamal, to be the main instigator in bringing down Odenathus, because of his love for the queen Zenobia. It is he who betrays the queen to Aurelian, so that he could bring her to Rome. I interspersed the two fictional poems I wrote; “The Balm of Syria” and “The Regicide of Odenathus” in counterpoint, so that each could tell a different part of the story at the same time. The Balm of Syria tells the historical account, and The Regicide of Odenathus tells the madness sustained by Ashur-ben Hamal, and how he sacrificed an entire empire to have the one he loved. In this story, Ashur-ben is the one who betrays Zenobia into Aurelian's hands, so that he could take her to Rome against her will.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cheers all, this is my entry for the Love Poem contest. I thought about writing something normal, then I thought "nah". So here's a historical epic poem about a fictional man who fell in love with the queen Zenobia. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 371 words.
| Credit | Lost, and my brother |
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