Thursday, February 16, 2012

Chiron


                               Chiron and the boy Achilles, Roman fresco Pompeii
                                  C1st A.D., Archaeological Museum of Naples


Soon night will tie a knot
through the silky cord of time;
we'll gaze through gauzy windows
as to nothing day subsides,

as fly avenging furies
through cimmerian skies,
Chiron will teach us all
the truth in all our lies.

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Author's note: KHEIRON (or Chiron) was the eldest and wisest of the Centaurs, a tribe of half-horse men. But unlike the rest of this tribe he was an immortal god. He was a great teacher who mentored many of the great heroes of myth including Jason, Peleus, and Akhilleus. Eventually, however, he passed away from the earth, after accidentally being wounded by Herakles with an arrow coated in Hydra-venom. The wound was incurable, and unbearably painful, so Kheiron voluntarily relinquished his immortality and died. However, instead of being consigned to Haides, he was given a place amongst the stars by Zeus as the constellation Saggitarius or Centaurus.  (http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html)

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