Cassandra

Cassandraby Friedrich Schiller I.Joy resounded through the TrojanHalls as the songs of lutes swelled;Hymns were chanted by the drunkenSoon before the towers fell.Weary heads now calmly rested,Tears no longer plagued their eyes;Peleus was soon expectedWith his noble bride to rise. II.Troops with temples wreathed by laurelFilled the sanctums of the gods;All retiring, proudly marchingTo the Thymbrian altar halls.Streets were thriving with the madnessOf the dance-crazed bacchanal;Yet forgotten in her sadnessWas but one unhappy soul. III.Everywhere Cassandra wanderedShe was met with joy and cheer.Still, she roamed Apollo’s orchards,Haunted by her prescient fear.She took refuge in the deepestAcres of a sacred forest,And flung in a raging tempestBindings of her priestly caste. IV.“Everyone rejoices proudly,Every heart feels greatly blessed;Parents look on hopefullyAt my sister sweetly dressed.I alone must mourn this moment,Letting each dream flee my sight;I alone must reckon ruinScaling walls once shining bright. V.“One dim, simple flame is glowing,Though not held by Hymen’s hand,Fires leap towards the Heavens,Yet not burning from our brand.Feasts before me I see lavished,Yet my prophesying heartHears the crying and the anguishTearing all our joys apart. VI.“They all mock my lamentation,My grief only eggs them on;Lonely in my desolation,Helpless, I must carry on.Shamed by those who reap sweet fortune,Blighting all their happiness;I’m the herald of destruction,Oh, immortal Pythias! VII.“Why have I been cursed so coldly,Cast among the ever-blind?Every day is dark and lonelyAll because of my clear mind.Why grant me the gift of forethoughtIf tomorrow can’t be changed?The predestined can’t be altered—Destiny remains unchained. VIII.“Why remove the sacred coverIf such terror can’t be stopped?Life is fraught with endless error—Knowledge of it leads to naught.Take, oh take, this curse away now,Rid me of this bloody sight;Terror overwhelms the mortalWitness of Truth’s burning light. IX.“Give me back those clueless blisses,And a mind forever blind;All my songs are spent of kindness,Since your will has been divined.With the future I am gifted,In exchange the present flits;All my joyful hours wasted—Spoiled are all this world’s sweet gifts! X.“Never has the bridal wreathingDecked my young and virgin brow,Since I heard my fated callingAs the keeper of this vow.My best days are spent in weeping,Pain is all my pure heart knows,Now an overwhelming meaningConjures in me endless woes. XI.“Carelessly strolls every couple,Laughing, loving, full of heart.Beautifully garbed and youthful—In my heart alone joys part.Springtime’s buds seem all in vainAs they blanket Earth with bliss;Who could enjoy life when staringInto fate’s gaping abyss? XII.“Polyxena appears so blestIn her drunk, delusioned breast,For, the best of Greece would wed her,And their loving vows profess.Confidently bears she her proud heart,Joy erupting at the seams;Even gods with their immortal artAre not envied in her dreams. XIII.“He to whom my troth was plighted,Who so honors my fair charms,Looks on me with passioned gazes,Calling me into his arms.Gladly would I marry that man,Make a loving home for him,But the Stygean shades nightly banOur happy fate and loving. XIV.“All her omens and forebodingProserpine has given me;Wherever I tread or wanderGhostly spectres follow me.All the joys of youthful pleasureAre extinguished by these shades;Overwhelming in their number,They hound me through streets and glades. XV.“Specters of the death-steel shiningAnd the eye of murder glow;There’s no chance of our escaping,There’s no place where we may go.Haunted daily by my prophecy,No one can avoid Fate’s hand,I must welcome my destiny:Dying in a foreign land.” XVI.As her plaintive songs still echo,A distant voice is heardFrom the gates of the chief temple:Thetis’ son has left the world!Eris with her serpents screeches,All the gods have swiftly flown;Looming thunderclouds now rumble,Heavy over Ilium. Translation © David B. Gosselin Days Away: Mystery Babylon—Reclaiming the Mysteries 2.0 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit ageofmuses.substack.com/subscribe