Poetry Forum

The Punishment of Marsyas


Marsyas in his travels finds a flute
and plays on it. It is the sort of hour
a god may step from Heaven. And in fact,
Apollo comes to Marsyas, who has
seen none more holy. Now, the flute
slips from his fingers. Now, the easy hand
that plucks the lyre, the drinking cup, the bow,
peels Marsyas the way one peels a fruit.

What does the satyr see? He sees the god.
What does he hear? The singing of the god.
What does he feel? The air we breathe. Nor did
he earn this torment. Such was not the death
that Marsyas imagined. From the cloud
that blanks Olympus, punishment has come
to shroud him now, though all he ever did
was play the flute and let Apollo know.


The path of Dionysus, with his mad
rout following, is not Apollo’s style.
Instead, untroubled and serene, his smile –
should he once smile – speaks of the fun he’s had.

plucks/peels! The violence not shouted, but certainly felt. The consequences of playing with what one finds, especially in a world peopled by such gods!

Hi Phil,

You've exactly captured what I was going for, which is gratifying - "the violence not shouted, but certainly felt." Thank you! I've long been struck by the fact that this horrific punishment was inflicted, apparently for almost no reason, by Apollo, who of all the Greek gods exemplifies calm and composure. I wanted to get some of that with him plucking the lyre, etc., and the closing "fun he's had." It is very good to hear that this poem works for you; it's had earlier readers who thought it a failed piece, but I continue to value it.

Other poets also have dealt with the Marsyas story more vociferously, though I might argue, no more brutally in the end. Your comment - "not shouted" reminds me of Spinal Tap's "ours go to 11" scene, which is my answer.

CHeers,
John

Hi John,

These lines are both excellent and horrifying.

Now, the easy hand
that plucks the lyre, the drinking cup, the bow,
peels Marsyas the way one peels a fruit.

I have to admit my ignorance of Marsyas’s and Apollo’s story, but wiki soon put this right. Enjoyed the poem and researching its mythological subject matter.

Cheers,

Tristan

Hi Tristan,

Thank you for the good word! There are a few Marsyas paintings, and a couple of C20th poems, though they tend to pull out all the stops: https://www.kencraftauthor.com/apollo-a ... ert-redux/

I wanted to try for understated horror, and am very glad to hear some of that came through.

Cheers,
John