On Reading Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”

On Reading Ovid’s Metamorphoses

by Kelp

These tales of bloodlust and murder,
Abduction and rape,
Violence and violation,
Jealousy and revenge.

The slaying of creatures,
Wild boars and pythons,
Of brave men
On the battlefield.

The indiscriminate use of power,
The use and misuse of power.
Power wielded for the sake of power.
Power to show who has the power, and how.

These indiscriminate gods of Greece and Rome,
So much like us,
Indifferent to the consequences
Of their impulsive forays.

Like us, distracted by a pretty face
Or the supple curves of an unspoiled virgin.
They have their way because they can,
Through force of will, the satiation of their slightest whims.

But when the gods – disguised -- go searching for hospitality
And are rejected and refused by the selfish and unrepentant,
They come upon a simple, caring, compassionate couple
Named Baucis and Philemon.

Homely homebodies, Baucis and Philemon,
Were not cognizant of their own impoverishment,
But hurriedly scurried about their hovel,
Fetching the ingredients for their humble victuals.

Guided only by the comfort of their guests,
And a holy spirit of charity,
They did not withhold from all they had,
And even from all they wished they had to give.

The gods were moved to reward them,
And they graciously accepted their reward.
As they had graciously provided for their guests.
Giving and taking with love and with faith.

What was Ovid thinking to include this odd account
Of this old couple, concerned and considerate, and charitable,
A brief intermission from the carnage and destruction
That marked the tenor of his other tales?

Metamorphoses mostly unwelcome, unasked for,
That fell upon their victims as punishments,
Chastisements, or explanations, or lessons
For their progeny, cautionary tales.

The old couple was also transformed,
But they were allowed to choose their lot,
They were changed into a towering two-trunked tree
With branches intertwined.

When Ovid was exiled in his older age
For plotting against the Caesar
Or for witnessing something that he should not have seen,
Perhaps he took comfort in that image of the two-trunked tree.

Perhaps he knew that the power of Rome
Would one day fail, and be transformed
Into a world where charity and love align,
A towering two-trunked tree with branches intertwined