Greek Poet ILIAS FOUKIS

Greek Poet      ILIAS   FOUKIS
Poetry is the voice of the Gods

Thursday, November 10, 2011

YOUNG GREEK SOLITARY Poem by ILIAS FOUKIS


Dear ILIAS   FOUKIS 
Congratulations! Over the past 12 months we have been reviewing 
the poetic accomplishments of people whose poetry has recently been 
discovered in major poetry archives, poetry websites and in print editions 
released by various publishers in America and around the world.
It's my pleasure to inform you that you and your poetry have been 
selected to be published in the historic edition...
International Who's Who in Poetry 2012
Library of Congress ISBN- 978-1-61936-035-8







 YOUNG   GREEK   SOLITARY




If such be
the will of the God on Earth
without needing to sing the praises of Zeus
today I...
             will walk all day on the Earth. 
And more importantly
as soon as I glimpse the secure distance
Ive kept from death...
praise be to Apollo...
I will not be disturbed
            by the demon of Self-Destruct




If such not be
the will of the God of the Heavens
then my dreams
which lay siege to the essence of Existence
will like Sisyphus
            be caught in the nightmare of pointless labor
so not even one meter of heaven will be granted...
and do you know where these Dreams
for a better World
and a Beautiful Greece will end?


Unobserved and slowly
they will be eaten by the rust
            and the dust of forgetfulness. 



If such be
the will of the God of the Sea
my own spectres which are armed
with gravity of conscience and forgiveness
will then have the rare opportunity
of washing away the living sins of Troy
which have become the most dangerous Olympus
with their cynical anticipation
be the Eternal Greece before the eyes of the world.



If such not be
the will of the God of Fire
then I who know better the fatal bond
of Greece with Flames
will lose my last
chance
to show mercy
and the Cities will continue
to quietly burn. 



And indeed... if such not be
the will of the God of Love
because of this horrifying alienation
which human emotions have undergone
no one will love me at all. 


The worst thing though is that this Tragedy
will not simply end here...


This God of Love
has come highly touted by Olympus...


A good deal more than your usual Idols
and different from them
usurper of all longings
and with many possibilities for immortality. 


And all the departing travelers
will testify that no matter where they went
they saw none of this incredible love anywhere
which in itself would be enough to convince
the easily deceived world
that the Summit had been worth the effort. 


Few people love each other in this World. 


And these few
love each other only as much as they are permitted
by the thought that you can never ascend into the Great Sky
because there... there has truly evolved
                              an anthropic History
but one thats been lived by the Gods alone... 



And for us to stay in the life which endures
more or less but for a single Season
we in any case my dear Apollo
were in no quandary...
            felt no mystery...
because we never expressed any interest
in being Gods. 


The problem is very simple...


We are not wanted
on this Earth... 



Utterly paralyzed and directionless
we have moved about in the world
without being observed by anyone... 



Perhaps we should get organised
we the Great Anonymous mass
to bring this madness with false
Heroes to an end
those who only the Gods with their
own wretchedness know how to erect... 



And as if Troy wasnt enough
to tyrannise Greece
then Olympus went and committed a crime
            of its own as well.


The brain of the World has become stupefied
flinging at their hollow heads
its ferocious desire
            to be God. 



By these Gods
which will control everything from on high
and even more appalling
us who Will and Chance in tandem have
            wanted to keep down here...
despite the fact we roamed the Earth backwards and forwards
to bring about Great Changes in the World
all opinion will defame us
and none of our testimony will ever be heard. 


And that is also why Im afraid
that we who walked on the Earth alone
will be left completely devoid of history.
 


Translation by   PHILIP RAMP