Aphrodite's Isle Poem by Elia Michael
Aphrodite's Isle
An ancient burnished copper land
In the haze of the summer sun
Beaches of shingle and gold sand
Purple crowns on crags coloured dun
A land surrounded by the sea
Royal blues and aquamarine
White brush marks painted skilfully
By the wind which is fresh and keen
A land where ancient gods reside
The highlands echo their voices
Heard in the valleys far and wide
As young lovers make their choices
A land of music and dancin'
Of celebration and laughter
Shared with friends and kin
Enjoying food drink and banter
A land torn painfully apart
A crimson gash through the country
A body with a bleeding heart
Which mourns still for its progeny
Where wives and mothers still wear black
Orphan children now fully grown
Know their fathers cannot come back
Now they have children of their own
An ancient burnished copper land
Or Malenis' golden-green leaf
Touched by Aphrodite's fair hand
Land of my birth, of joy, of grief
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4/19/2024 5:22:14 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Thistles abound in rocky terrain and these bloom in summer with purple crown-like flowers. Orphan is a Greek word but its meaning in Greek can be different - an orphan is a child with no surviving parents (as in English) but also a child with only one surviving parent is an orphan. The reference to Malenis' golden-green leaf (that is Cyprus) is to his poem set to music by Theodorakis. Aphrodite is strongly associated with Cyprus throughout history (the earliest reference is in Homer) . Indeed she was born of the sea foam around Paphos.