After the battle

· by · in dVerse, sonnet. ·

Afterwards we trailed in silence barren
slowly rich and poor, both friend and foe
on grass and stones to shores of Achoron
as from afar his ghostly ship aglow

approached to bring us into Hades back
to serve the masters of the Underworld;
the river’s water, mucus-like and black
mirrored darkly ferry, and Charon snarled

“You, corpses, pay or stay”, with fingers cold
he pried from mouths and eyes our silver-coins
enslaved and chained we gently sailed and rolled
on sullen waves together former armies joined

Into nothingness as our bodies spoil
forgotten, heroes, cowards turn to soil

By the shore of Acheron – created with Bing

Today Merril hosts dVerse and the prompt was to write about boats and or ships of any form. My choice fell on Charon’s ship and that final crossing described so well by the myths.

February 6, 2024

40 responses to “After the battle”

  1. I always enjoy a mythological poem, and I love a sonnet, so this is a treat,

    Björn, especially the way you describe the Styx:  

    ‘the river’s water, mucus-like and black

    mirrored darkly ferry’

    and these lines:

    ‘he pried from mouths and eyes our silver-coins

    enslaved and chained we gently sailed and rolled

    on sullen waves…’

  2. Oh, this is so evocative, Björn–and visceral, that mucus-like black water. I like how they are now together forever, and it doesn’t matter that they were enemies when alive. Great sonnet!

  5. My immediate thought was “bleck. That water sounds gross.”😂 and those bird things in the sky look like pterodactyls to me. Though I would love to see some, perhaps not in Hades. I really like the third stanza.

  7. A wonderful depiction of that boat ride into Hades and the mingling of the dead, whatever their earthly shame or glory. Each detail adds to the melancholy ride, “enslaved and chained we gently sailed and rolled
    on sullen waves together former armies joined.” A rich, finely crafted sonnet, Björn. This mythological milieu suits your poetic imagination methinks.

  10. The darkness inspired by Northern Winter is understandable but this myth was made by Mediterranean people – what was their excuse for such a dark passage I wonder. I like the Celtic idea of departing for Tir na N’og – sailing west into the sunset…

  11. Well imagined and told, Bjorn. I dreamt the other night of my brothers and I peddling prostitutes for a day in our mother’s house (while she was away), raising curious hexagon-shaped gold coins for something — waking it seemed like ferryman’s pay. (One brother is dead, the other has cancer.) Recently I’ve been on a long imaginative journey across Acheron, paying dues to old souls.

  14. I love the darkness in your sonnet, found it captivating … I have forever been a fan of mythology.

    Thank you for leaving a comment on my yacht poem. My friend sold his yacht four or five years later .. formed a theatrical production company with a friend and consistently has shows they have co-produced or produced on their own playing on Broadway (Two Tony awards!!) and London’s West End. He also sits high atop the hierarchy of NYC Metropolitan Opera. He does get around.

  15. The long night of the soul continues for the Ancient Greeks as they seek out a new singer-poet, Brudberg, to get their point across.

  17. Darkly woven, I enjoyed the rhyme, but also think the message of the poem is important. It made me think of the famous line ‘Only the dead have seen the end of war”, but I think your poem shows the probable reality that something as gruesome will live on with us and get carried wherever we go after death.

  20. So dark, and macabre, I can see it all this sail, hear and feel it… the sea does sound revolting and not pleasant to sail upon. I did enjoy this sail into the darkness.

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