A Wild Night, Dionysus!
cold January fire staining
dappled shades
an amethyst horizon
a linen robe
robbed, the moon
drunken, the rode
©2016 Forever Amethyst
Landscape & Psyche poetry series
stephaniepope, mythopoetry.com
written for twitter #MadVerse 1/4 no.551 notes 1. Amethyst retold from the Greek myth of the origin of amethyst
Amethyst's origin resides with the god Dionysos (Roman, Bacchus), the god of wine, celebration, intoxication, joviality and indestructible life, and the goddess Diana (alchemy, La Luna).
Dionysos darkens when insulted by a mortal who refuses him honor. Enraged with anger Dionysos vows to unleash his fury upon mortals who do not partake in his gift of wine and drunkenness. He spies the young girl, Amethyst who does not yet know about wine and drunkenness. Amethystus means not drunken or intoxicated (methystos, from methyein means intoxicated, methy = wine.)
The unsuspecting Amethyst, on her way to pay hommage to Diana, is detained by the wrath of Dionysos who summons two fierce and voracious tigers to devour the poor maiden while he settles back with his wine to watch. Amethyst cries out to Diana. When Diana sees what is about to transpire she instantly acts, transforming the mortal girl into a pure and radiant white stone to protect her from the devastating Dionysian ripping apart about to take place. Suddenly moved with pity, Dionysos realizes the ruthlessness of his actions and begins to weep with sorrow. His tears drip into his wine goblet mixing with the wine. The god collapses under the weight of knowing such sorrow and the tear-tainted wine drenches the white stone coloring it, forever amethyst.
2. For more poetry using this mythic pattern see the poem, CopperWoman.
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