Meditating on Olympia

"Alas ! In vain! My whole life in ruins",
Rodin cried out, awe struck
When he first saw Apollo at Olympia.

And frantically he searched with his hands
The bottom of his pouch
Trying to find out
Whether the fault lied with a tool.
Was it a tool that he had laid aside?
A tool longing for the affection of his fingers?

Hardly breathing he dashed
to the workshop of Phidias                 

He searched everywhere - deep in his thoughts -
For any little humble thing
Which might have helped,
He dug, in agitation, his fingers into the soil.

Might he happen to discover, by chance,                
Anyone of the tools of Hephaestus,
He was never aware of ?           

Might he find a tool of Gods
That Olympia hides ?

   A tool that stirs,
   And elates the soul,
   And liberates it.

Ancient Olympia  (September, 1993)
(21 translations until September 27, 2006)

* The last three lines is my definition for the Art

Nature Advice

On a pole across your neck
Carrying two chinese water-pots

........Praising the perfect one on the right
........For its accomplishment, as you believe,
....... Why you blame the cracked one on the left?
........Give the weak a chance, Nature advises!
........It cannot contain the whole water, but
........Garden expands everywhere: just plant seeds
........On the left side of the path you walk.
........See backwards: the cracked pot waters
........A long line of flowers, drop after drop.
........The poor pot offers you a rewarding grace.
........So, pick up those flowers for decorations
........Enjoy their fragrance; accept inequality
........Since the weak ones are blessed by Nature.

As for my weakness: Take me for what I am 
And better look for what is good in me.  


Larnaka (September, 2006)

* inspired by a fable of Aesop and a Chinese legend
** Submitted for the Cultural Part of Olympic Games-2008 in China
(3 translations until September 27, 2006)

Oecumenical Olympia

......................To Pierre de Cupertain, and Athens-2004
......................Olympi Commission

Ave αrchon enthroned above, Olympia
With respect compete, be based on love, aekehiria
Make my soul crystal adamand
Athlet brave (1), classic dynamism
Oecumenical my phone.           

Citius, altius, fortius Olympia.

Ave galaxian synergy, Olympia
Give me all of your energy, eucharistia (2)
Charismatic democracy
Triumph over chaos, tyranny
Pantheon's apocalypse. 

Harmony catholic, Alpha and Omega.

Joseph Josephides
Poet of Cyprus (EU)

           Ancient Olympia  (September, 1993)

(*) Basically the poem is composed of 28 greek words and 4 latin ones (ave, citius, altius, fortius). All off themused by more than 100 languages! The 28 greek words are printed in italics
(There is no need to translate this poem; is meaningful in all languages)

Window                                                          

Stretch your hand and open the window,
maybe a sunbeam drops in,
in a zigzag way, by reflection,
maybe a star promising a change.                                  

Open the window,
perhaps a person in rush drops a glance inside,
a beauty girl sprinkled by the rain,
a shallow mother who lost her baby.                   

Open the window,
maybe the ball of the children shows up
their voice perhaps climbs up
a bending branch, a kitten.                          

Open the window, 
even if a wave of dust, of  hail, invades,
a shadow or its shadow, two shadows in one,
or even a shadow shading another.

Open the window,                         
even if the city fell asleep,
even if the city passed away,
even if there is no sign which of the two.

Stretch your hand and open for us the window.
In its place there will be a painting
hanged, speechless staring at us.
At least it will fill our empty wall.

Poems Joseph Josephides
Poet of Cyprus (EU)