Sighs of the Sweet River

Drink from the divine river of Hades

 

Drink deep upon oblivion streams

 

Beyond Styx, the river of hatred

 

And Akheron, the river of sorrows

 

Kokytos, the river of lamentations

 

And Phlegethon, the river of flames

 

Sacred Lethe, river of forgetfulness

 

Flowing free from the cave of Hypnos

 

To enchant you into dreams of bliss

 

All pain and sorrow cleansed away

 

Drink from the divine river of Hades…

Author's Note

Lethe, the river of forgetfulness, was one of the five rivers of the Greek underworld. The shades of the dead were required to drink the waters of the Lethe in order to forget their earthly life. In the Aeneid, Virgil writes that it is only when the dead have had their memories erased by the Lethe that they may be reincarnated.

Reviews

[Renée]

Reads like a siren's call..gives me chills, for yesterday I saw white roses, like in your photo..washed up on a beach. Nicely Done, Mr. Froman

[An owl on the moon]

What a wondrous image to correspond to this river of peace.. of forgetting. Thank you for sharing, Renée...

[Renée]

I enjoy reading your works

[Helena]

Felt like reading Ancient Greek Legend!!! beautiful!

[An owl on the moon]

Ah, may you find peace and inspiration this week as rich as any legend... :)

[Etta Beasley]

Very fascinating! My poetry is definitely from a different thread, but I found it so inspirational to read this :)

[An owl on the moon]

I appreciate your words.. and your heart that seeks to see wonders all around you... :)

[DIVYA]

The concept of Lethe has always been so fascinating...as are the dark waters of Hades...and their images flow so vividly from your pen...the rivers seem so inviting and death feels like a dream...

Your thoughts are as amazing as the words you express them with...

Thanks for sharing this unforgettable poetry, Craig!

[An owl on the moon]

Thank you for your kindness, Divya.. your depthful insigths.. always! When I read of Lethe, it was just at a time I needed to try and forget... sometimes memories of beauty can create the deepest pain... And here we are.. the new year.. and all is renewed... :)

[Kesha]

Greek Mythology has always fascinated me, even named my cat Hermes. Anyways a wonderful write here. Hope all is wonderful on your end! Have a great week Craig.

Kesha

[An owl on the moon]

Oh, dear Kesha, please forgive the lateness of my thanks! I appreciate you so much... Wishing you the most wonderful weekend, sweet friend... :)

[MomzillaNC]

The title of this caught my eye. I've been buried in Celtic and Persian mythologies so long now, I'd forgotten the Greek mythologies. The underworld mythologies of ancient Greece fascinated me when I was younger.

[An owl on the moon]

So good to have your thoughts shared here. Thank you, and may your weekend just shine..

[MomzillaNC]

You're welcome. Happy holidays.

[Gypsy Warrior Queen]

The fog lifts and the fields part. I walk lone but not lonely .....coming through the waters, leaving this world and moving on to the next. No longer cloaked in lies but wrapped in the sheer silk of redemption. I am never lost here in your words, never weary in this wondrous land of poetic peace! Namaste my brother!

[An owl on the moon]

Namaste, precious, lifting sister... always a light you bring when you enter my world... Thank YOU! :)

[AprilRN1210]

first off, I love the title.. drew my attention immediately.. the picture is divine and the font adds to the magical feel.. I also appreciated the informative and interesting author's note... you always cast your enchanting spell--with or without water, all you need are words.. beautiful as usual Craig.. can wash me in bliss anytime:)

[An owl on the moon]

I do so hope your day leads you to some beautiful bliss, precious friend. Thank you for your encouraging words... always! :)

[Marie]

This is lovely. I have heard of drinking the waters of Lethe, but not the others.

[An owl on the moon]

I appreciate you so much, Marie. Thank you for stopping here to read. :)

[asdarkeyesclose]

'And Phlegethon, the river of flames'

this sounds so enchanting and quite beautiful, you would not necessarily associate flames and water.i was not aware of all these different rivers although i did read Virgil's epic although it was a while ago. a lovely poem inspired by myth. fantastic.

[An owl on the moon]

Thank you for sharing your insights on my poetry... and it sounds like you're very well read! Wishing you days that are enchanted in such dreams of bliss... :)