Still Wandering

Still Wandering

(Still Wandering," the two words that inspired this poem were used in several sources to describe Orestes as he was being driven mad by the Erinyes)

The quiet moments never come

No not for I, Agamemnon's son

Accursed mother and accursed young

I am still wandering on when the day is done

The sisters hound me day and night*

I gave them all that which I had by right

Where is justice for a mariticide? **

Oh how the gods forget the joy in Troy's burning light

Alecto whips and Megaera wails ***

I can't get a moment of sleep

Tisiphone howls of endless suffering

And I am still wandering

Tell me o Zeus on high, what's a son to do?

If not kill his father's adulterer and his murderer too?

Unjust are they who would condemn me

And  so are you

Yet I will not die for your injustice

I will not kneel for you to countenance

Orestes lives in defiance and rebelling

Still wandering!****

*"Sisters" in this line refers to the Erinyes

** mariticide is the murder of one's husband, referring to the murder of Agamemnon by Clytemnestra. Today mariticide refers to most spousal homicide,  doing away with the lesser known uxoricide

*** These three names, Alecto, Megaera and Tisiphone are typically used to refer to the three most famous Erinyes. The inconsistency of ancient texts leaves us grasping at how many Erinyes there were or what was their genealogy.  Contemporaneously, the perception of the "trinity" of sisters is said to originate with Vergil.

**** not being an excellent artist myself nor wanting to leave no imagery, I used an ancient Greek pythos alongside this piece. It's in the creative commons and hey, I imagine a nearly 3,000 year old artist wouldn't be a huge problem in court.