deepundergroundpoetry.com
Terrible Beauty
Your beautiful long silken hair
So captivates the eyes that stare
All mortal men and one who must
Defile you to serve his lust
Virgin priestess you are no more
Corrupted on the temple floor
Your purity Poseidon took
Where Athena would never look
In her temple you brought disgrace
Now ugliness shall be your face
Athena's wrath comes with a curse
Of banishment and even worse
A writhing mass of snakes for hair
Skin of the dead your bones will wear
Eyes sunken like the blackest hole
A darting tongue you can't control
Hideous fangs and dragon's claws
Pursuing food up cavern walls
You'll slither with a serpent's sway
Strike at shadows that come your way
Forever will you live alone
One sight of you turns all to stone
To loneliness you’ll be a slave
And wander through the dimmest cave
Endless twilight will fill your days
With tortured souls caught in your gaze
Stuck in terror are men who tried
To take your life before they died
Frozen faces from past mistakes
Of those who looked at hissing snakes
Screaming statues so real they blush
Where lovely gardens were once so lush
Loathsome Gorgon beyond rescue
All of the gods abandoned you
Her jealousy holds you to blame
For all the years of constant shame
The day will come when she will send
A demigod to meet your end
A mighty blow will lift your head
Right off your neck and strike you dead
So captivates the eyes that stare
All mortal men and one who must
Defile you to serve his lust
Virgin priestess you are no more
Corrupted on the temple floor
Your purity Poseidon took
Where Athena would never look
In her temple you brought disgrace
Now ugliness shall be your face
Athena's wrath comes with a curse
Of banishment and even worse
A writhing mass of snakes for hair
Skin of the dead your bones will wear
Eyes sunken like the blackest hole
A darting tongue you can't control
Hideous fangs and dragon's claws
Pursuing food up cavern walls
You'll slither with a serpent's sway
Strike at shadows that come your way
Forever will you live alone
One sight of you turns all to stone
To loneliness you’ll be a slave
And wander through the dimmest cave
Endless twilight will fill your days
With tortured souls caught in your gaze
Stuck in terror are men who tried
To take your life before they died
Frozen faces from past mistakes
Of those who looked at hissing snakes
Screaming statues so real they blush
Where lovely gardens were once so lush
Loathsome Gorgon beyond rescue
All of the gods abandoned you
Her jealousy holds you to blame
For all the years of constant shame
The day will come when she will send
A demigod to meet your end
A mighty blow will lift your head
Right off your neck and strike you dead
Published 1st Jul 2013
| Edited 24th Oct 2013
All writing remains the property of the author. Don't use it for any purpose without their permission.
likes 35
reading list entries 8
comments 30
reads 1851
Commenting Preference:
The author encourages honest critique.
Anonymous
1st Jul 2013 5:07am
This was excellent....love greek mythology..great imagery, really enjoyed :) x
Anonymous
1st Jul 2013 5:23am
Ooo Greek mythology :D my slight obsession. Epic poetry skill goin' on MourningCloak, you did well! Again. Like always xD
:3
:3
1st Jul 2013 5:53am
Anonymous
1st Jul 2013 12:06pm
I greatly enjoyed reading this! :)
1st Jul 2013 1:33pm
2nd Jul 2013 00:11am
7th Jul 2013 1:38pm
Yes, terribly beautiful indeed. You've inspired me to take my mythology book to the dark temple this week.
S
S
8th Jul 2013 3:17pm
10th Jul 2013 6:51pm
Anonymous
11th Jul 2013 3:52pm
<< post removed >>
Anonymous
14th Jul 2013 11:17am
Great write about Madusa. Perseus will be the one sent to take here head. My husband loves mythology so to say the least I know a little. Great pen and rhyme
30th Jul 2013 00:00am
Nice... I see you like Greek mythology... I wonder how you would do as a mythologist...
Wonderful work once more x3
Wonderful work once more x3
8th Aug 2013 5:36am
Anonymous
9th Aug 2013 7:19pm
<< post removed >>
27th Aug 2013 3:55am
Anonymous
9th Sep 2013 1:38am
Fantastical.
15th Sep 2013 7:27am
What a great telling of the story of madusa. You never cease to create such great poetry. I tip my glass to you Mourningcloak.
1st Oct 2013 9:36pm
3rd Oct 2013 9:57am
I loved the poem! The rhyming was fitting and the imagery was very effective and the images played like a movie in my mind, excellent!
16th Oct 2013 5:28am
18th Oct 2013 2:53am
24th Oct 2013 4:20am
26th Nov 2013 7:27pm
Loved this poem, I found myself engulfed in her world and her curse for she could only find love for who she has become and when embraced the passionate fury of her new love is so alive.
3rd Dec 2013 10:02am
Hideous fangs and dragon's claws
Pursuing food up cavern walls
or 'within cavern's maws' for us pedantic ones.
Good write!
Terry
Pursuing food up cavern walls
or 'within cavern's maws' for us pedantic ones.
Good write!
Terry
7th Jan 2014 3:20am
18th Feb 2014 5:25am
10th Mar 2014 5:23am
Wow you actually manage to bring out the beauty with Medusa's terror.... I love this stanza
" Frozen faces from past mistakes Of those who looked at hissing snakesScreaming statues so real they blush Where lovely gardens were once so lush"
" Frozen faces from past mistakes Of those who looked at hissing snakesScreaming statues so real they blush Where lovely gardens were once so lush"
14th Oct 2015 3:49pm
27th Oct 2018 1:21pm
amazing.... your words give images to the story
and you display it with such brilliance
and you display it with such brilliance
21st Jan 2019 1:50pm
I love how you used mythology to help you tell your story. You're awesome writer, man!
