Epitaph Empress
Author's Note: This is my bash at a retelling of my favourite Greek Myth; the myth of Hades and Persephone. I know there are loads of (brilliant) retellings of this myth here* and I'm not trying to rip off a single one. This is just my go at the classic myth. This is looking to be a pretty long multi-chapter fanfic so please be patient. Also, the beginning of each part begins with a poem (just to set the scene), for all those who like my poems! I hope you enjoy reading it (and faithfully review - my happiness depends on feedback)!
Prologue : Dramatis Personae
The Goddess of many names,
One name to adorn one identity
Like a Queen's crown of blazing gems
Or a maiden's wreath of blossoms
She proudly wears, their weight upon chestnut hair;
As her wildflowers and meadows become her world
As does death and solitude, the fate she must love.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
She dances in sunlight,
Basking in innocence,
Roaming in the shadows,
Crying for release and from release given
Lips upon sweet pomegranates
Rich, stained red, ripe with temptation
As winter's embrace beckons.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Sweet child, virgin daughter of spring,
Prisoner and Queen, strapped in bonds of gold
Dark sovereign with a heart of warmth and life, aglow with love
Rips red with the sweet poison of her husband's fruit,
A wild and delicate bloom bursting against darkness,
Ripe for the picking
The destroyer of the light.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Goddess of life and death, coldest fear and loneliness
Attended by mournful shadows
And dancing nymphs
She leaps into the air;
Dishevelled, ripe, young and alive
And flowers sing free from sorrow's grasp
As grey death bids her farewell, an epitaph to love.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Dramatis personae, her identity
To the Goddess that lived in death
Moving from sunlight to shades,
The virgin lover of both worlds, loved by all
Their devoted fervour know her differently, nature and decay
As she leaves their grief for hope anew
As pomegranates glisten in the warm spring breeze.
She is our Epitaph Empress.
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* There are many brilliant and diverse ones out there, and some amazing and talented authors. Some of my personal favourite retellings would have to be the following:
Hades, on the subject of Persephone by B. Fisher (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=540459) - not quite a 'retelling' but a brilliant and clever poem.
I Won't Say It by Melora Maxwell (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=855760)
The Blooming of Night's Fever by Moonstone Tears (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=889233)
The Daughter of Demeter by Jurious (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=969804)
The Goddess Who Died by Gale (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=968870)
The Myth of Kore and Hades - a revision by Amberlaine (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=365926)
The Tale of the Seasons by Erin (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=877129)
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
Author's Note: This is my bash at a retelling of my favourite Greek Myth; the myth of Hades and Persephone. I know there are loads of (brilliant) retellings of this myth here* and I'm not trying to rip off a single one. This is just my go at the classic myth. This is looking to be a pretty long multi-chapter fanfic so please be patient. Also, the beginning of each part begins with a poem (just to set the scene), for all those who like my poems! I hope you enjoy reading it (and faithfully review - my happiness depends on feedback)!
Prologue : Dramatis Personae
The Goddess of many names,
One name to adorn one identity
Like a Queen's crown of blazing gems
Or a maiden's wreath of blossoms
She proudly wears, their weight upon chestnut hair;
As her wildflowers and meadows become her world
As does death and solitude, the fate she must love.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
She dances in sunlight,
Basking in innocence,
Roaming in the shadows,
Crying for release and from release given
Lips upon sweet pomegranates
Rich, stained red, ripe with temptation
As winter's embrace beckons.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Sweet child, virgin daughter of spring,
Prisoner and Queen, strapped in bonds of gold
Dark sovereign with a heart of warmth and life, aglow with love
Rips red with the sweet poison of her husband's fruit,
A wild and delicate bloom bursting against darkness,
Ripe for the picking
The destroyer of the light.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Goddess of life and death, coldest fear and loneliness
Attended by mournful shadows
And dancing nymphs
She leaps into the air;
Dishevelled, ripe, young and alive
And flowers sing free from sorrow's grasp
As grey death bids her farewell, an epitaph to love.
She is the Epitaph Empress.
Dramatis personae, her identity
To the Goddess that lived in death
Moving from sunlight to shades,
The virgin lover of both worlds, loved by all
Their devoted fervour know her differently, nature and decay
As she leaves their grief for hope anew
As pomegranates glisten in the warm spring breeze.
She is our Epitaph Empress.
----- ----- ----- ----- -----
* There are many brilliant and diverse ones out there, and some amazing and talented authors. Some of my personal favourite retellings would have to be the following:
Hades, on the subject of Persephone by B. Fisher (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=540459) - not quite a 'retelling' but a brilliant and clever poem.
I Won't Say It by Melora Maxwell (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=855760)
The Blooming of Night's Fever by Moonstone Tears (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=889233)
The Daughter of Demeter by Jurious (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=969804)
The Goddess Who Died by Gale (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=968870)
The Myth of Kore and Hades - a revision by Amberlaine (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=365926)
The Tale of the Seasons by Erin (http://fanfiction.net/read.php?storyid=877129)
----- ----- ----- ----- -----