HERB with the broad green leaves and flowers of gold,
Elecampane! These syllables recall
A chapter of the greatest tale of al1.
If truth by ancient herbalists be told,
Thine were the flowers which Helen deigned to hold,
When forth she passed from Menelaus’ hall
With Paris unto Ilium, doomed to fall
Through him and her when ten long years had rolled.
‘Tis but a legend: yet to deem it true
Is pleasing to the fancy; for the mind
Can catch a glimpse of that far distant day,-
Laconian flowers, seas of Aegean blue,
The dust and turmoil of the deathless fray,
And all the heroes Homer hath enshrined.
(Robert Henry Forster)
More Poetry from Robert Henry Forster:
Robert Henry Forster Poems based on Topics: Flowers, Gold, Mind, Heroism- To My Wife (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
- Roses (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
- Winter Aconit (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
- The Vegetable Garden (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
- Daffodils (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
- Views from the Garden (Robert Henry Forster Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Mind Poems, Flowers Poems, Gold Poems, Heroism PoemsBased on Keywords: aegean, ilium, menelaus, elecampane