Europa by Marc Fishman. Link to artist's website
The Fate of Europa
Fair daughter of Phoenicia’s golden shore
Tyrean princess, vibrant, playful, free
Your fate decided long before you knew
That nothing can deny the Sisters Three
The journey taken was not by your plan
Life's lessons could not help you to prepare
For passion that you found in bullish form
The maker of your august goddess' chair
To Crete, were swept across the Wine-Dark Sea
With Taurus' strength, and navigator’s skill
Olympian father takes with lightning's roar
To craft a queen whose influence does spill
Through marvelous eons, rife with love and pain
Into the dreams and nightmares where we sift
To find the art that brandishes the soul
Expressing what we can with Cadmus’ gift
In Poitiers, was Europenses named
Did Christian scribes and chroniclers then know?
That Umayyad and progeny would wield
A power from which Charlemagne would grow
To cast a Christendom with blood and steel
Administrator, warrior, and king
Adored by Germans and esteemed by France
A scholar who would have our lady sing!
In modern times, the earth began to shake!
In misery and strife you came of age
Enlightened by the wise men, yet oppressed
You learned to balance artfulness with rage
And through each struggle you maintain a pace
Determined, steady, fearful and obscure
Disparaged by detractors, or adored
United, we do hope that you endure
Your marriage unexpected, yet divine
Determines everything we now perceive
Variety and progress can be had
In justice, peace and legacy believe
Europa, may you learn while you still roam
Europa, fortify your sacred home
**
Theo J. van Joolen©2013
Tyrean princess, vibrant, playful, free
Your fate decided long before you knew
That nothing can deny the Sisters Three
The journey taken was not by your plan
Life's lessons could not help you to prepare
For passion that you found in bullish form
The maker of your august goddess' chair
To Crete, were swept across the Wine-Dark Sea
With Taurus' strength, and navigator’s skill
Olympian father takes with lightning's roar
To craft a queen whose influence does spill
Through marvelous eons, rife with love and pain
Into the dreams and nightmares where we sift
To find the art that brandishes the soul
Expressing what we can with Cadmus’ gift
In Poitiers, was Europenses named
Did Christian scribes and chroniclers then know?
That Umayyad and progeny would wield
A power from which Charlemagne would grow
To cast a Christendom with blood and steel
Administrator, warrior, and king
Adored by Germans and esteemed by France
A scholar who would have our lady sing!
In modern times, the earth began to shake!
In misery and strife you came of age
Enlightened by the wise men, yet oppressed
You learned to balance artfulness with rage
And through each struggle you maintain a pace
Determined, steady, fearful and obscure
Disparaged by detractors, or adored
United, we do hope that you endure
Your marriage unexpected, yet divine
Determines everything we now perceive
Variety and progress can be had
In justice, peace and legacy believe
Europa, may you learn while you still roam
Europa, fortify your sacred home
**
Theo J. van Joolen©2013
The Abduction of Europa by Rembrandt van Rijn [1632]
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Europa: Terracotta figurine from Athens, c. 460–480 BCE
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Europa in front of the European Parliament Building. Strasbourg, FR.
European Union Flag. The Fairy Poet is still hopeful for a strong and peaceful EU.
I graduated from the University of Amsterdam's International School of Humanities and Social Sciences with an M.A. in European Studies.