Tag Archives: homer

The Suspected Literary Criminal

Burglar Caught in Rome Mid-Heist While Taking a Break to Read Homer’s The Iliad

Its heartening to know that there exist those of a literary bent in the criminal community!

To be serious for a moment. If this (suspected)thief is convicted, and whilst imprisoned develops his love of literature, it is to be hoped that he will “sin no more” on his release from jail.

Some years back, (before Covid), I visited Brixton prison with friends to eat in the restaurant run by some of the prisoners. The idea behind the restaurant was to teach the prisoners skills so they could obtain gainful employment on their release into the community. Whilst the preparation of food is not the same as developing a love of the written word, hopefully our (alleged) literary thief will, if found guilty, develop his skills in a direction other than house breaking whilst in prison.

For anyone interested in the Clink charity which runs the restaurant in Brixton prison, you can find out more here Brixton – The Clink Charity : The Clink Charity

Can Epic Poetry Revive History?

7 Replies

An interesting and thought provoking article, https://engelsbergideas.com/essays/can-epic-poetry-revive-history/.

Homer’s Odyssey from Penelope’s perspective

9 Replies

I have just finished listening to a great reading of Homer’s Odyssey on Audible, https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Odyssey-Audiobook/B01AB07Y8O.

Back in 2015, I composed “Penelope’s Complaint”, which takes a humorous look at how the wife of Odysseus reacted on his return:

“Don’t give me all this stuff about sacking Troy.

You have been shacked up with some girl or boy!

You spin me a line

About men turned into swine.

I am sick of hearing of Circe

And your struggle to be free

Of her.

I’m fed up with affair after affair!

As for that painted nymph

On a plinth

Calypso

No doubt she let you go

When she saw how you guzzle your food

In a manner most rude.

Or was she a prude

And was it your language so crude

That caused her to shout

And throw you out?!

Be off once more to the sea

I want to be free

Of thee!”.

“Penelope’s Complaint” can be found in “Lost in the Labyrinth of My Mind”, which is available here, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AF5EPVY/.

Men Surf The Brine

5 Replies

Men surf the brine.
As a line
Of mermaids throng
The sand. Their song
Odysseus heard long ago.

Many men were lost
For they failed to count the cost
And drowned. Twas always so
And the wise well know
With Sirens not to play
And with Odysseus stay
Lashed to the mast
Lest they drown in the ocean vast.

“The Odyssey isn’t relevant today”
The stupid say
But only look behind
The text and you will find
A very modern tale
Of the sailor who with a mermaid played
And for his stupidity paid.

The Call Of The Sirens

2 Replies

The Sirens sang to Odysseus in Homer’s tale.
Lashed to the mast he did not fail
To resist their fatal call.
Should I listen to their song
I would fall
Eere long
And be lost among Hades ghostly throng.

My future may be as my past
For there is none to tie me to the mast.
The Sirens sing
And bring
A brief
Relief
From grief.
Yet the wise know
That their song signifies nought but woe.