<blockquote>
Angelsonggd
Gods(greek god), War, humans
</blockquote>
Το τραγο?δι του Σκαμ?νδρο?
Scamander’s Song
Πρ?λογο?
Prologue
Greece had always been a very interesting place
as soon as they were born, the gods were caught up in the race
Gaia did her best to keep her family in line
but Gaia was the happiest to meet the god of wine
The world became a busy place, and all the more so Greece
the gods of war seemed busier by far than gods of peace
some were more creative though, and tinkered here and there
Prometheus was one titan who did more than his share
Some were quick to criticize his work, but it caught on
his golden statues decorated even Zeus’s lawn
he must have been a better craftsman than he realized
for one day all the statues sprung to life and looked surprised
They called themselves the human race, and now they’re everywhere
and gods found them more fun to watch than any bird or bear
soon whatever humans filled their time with was their muse
And humans were an entertainment any god could use
But this is not the story of the grandest gods of old
their stories are as epic as they are often retold
compared to Zeus and Hera, our new friend might seem quite odd
but you may come to understand the limping river god
Πρ?το? Στ?χο?
First Verse
Scamander was the humble son of titans of the sea
but he was not a god as great as other gods could be
he wasn’t like Simoeis, known for torrents fast and strong
nor like his old friend Nilus, who was fertile, loved, and long
Almost every river’s reputation made him sad
especially when he was thinking of the life he had
Scamander didn’t run like any river would have planned
he was known to limp and wander through a certain land
As bitter as Scamander was about the life he led
he took his time enjoying all the lives his river fed
he watched the poets write, the artists paint, the lovers swim
and of the gods, no one had heard as many songs as him
One day as he limped along the river he was on
in a worse mood than the river god called Acheron
he came across a man who played a Hermes-crafted lyre
and though it sounded beautiful, he smelled of smoke and fire
“Who are you, your songs are like no music I have heard
you could rival any song performed by any bird”
the song he played was sad but sweet, a song of love and loss
as melancholy as the river he now looked across
“Orpheus is what I’m called, but please just leave me be
I could do without another river’s company”
Orpheus stood up and started wandering away
but then Scamander called to him, requesting that he stay
“Please just sit a while, I promise not to bother you
I’ll make sure you can play your songs in peace, so play a few”
Orpheus was taken with the earnest river’s pleas
Scamander knelt and begged the man, despite his aching knees
“Very well, I’ll pay you back for your sincerity
I’ll play as long as I can sit with you here peacefully”
and so began the friendship of the river and the lyre
both accommodating of the other one’s desire
A place to play the music of an aching, lonely soul
and music that could make a melancholy river whole
in time the lyre’s remorseful music showed a hint of cheer
the two would sing together, sharing more than just a tear
“I’m thankful for your company, your river brings me peace
your friendship is more treasure to me, than this golden fleece
there is nowhere better in this world where I could be
here there is no heartbreak, yes I finally feel free”
Orpheus explained the reason for his endless woe
of how he lost his love beside a river long ago
but now he was at peace beside the river with his friend
though peace was not an easy thing for someone to defend
Δε?τερο? Στ?χο?
Second Verse
Humans were the natural inhabitants of earth
and they were known to tip the scales of war to measure worth
Scamander didn’t care for war, but even he had tried
and when he did, it always left him quite unsatisfied
In the end, Scamander was no god of war at all
even human warriors could best him in a brawl
and even when he had the upper hand it always seemed
he couldn’t understand the way that other rivers schemed
Once he had a man they called Achilles on the run
trying to rebuke him for the way he warred for fun
but he escaped and somehow fell into the river Styx
becoming much too big a problem for the god to fix
The mess Achilles made took many years for him to clean
the dead that clogged his rivers were the worst he’d ever seen
but as he limped along he did eventually succeed
and once again Scamander’s limping rivers were all freed
But things were not so peaceful even when Achilles died
the humans couldn’t keep the peace for two days if they tried
for now the gods were using them as if they were a game
indulging in vicarious attempts at fun and fame
As Scamander sang along with Orpheus one day
the humans celebrated all the people they could slay
driven by the backing of their favoured gods of war
every time a battle ended, they’d all start some more
Soon no matter where Scamander’s river could be fed
battlefields all full of corpses turned his river red
the riverbanks were overrun by corpses’ putrid smell
the music stopped as Orpheus began to feel unwell
“I’m sorry dear Scamander, I’m afraid that I must go
the smell of death reminds me of what I lost long ago
maybe one day I’ll return, should human bloodshed cease
I must find a place where I can play my lyre in peace”
Τρ?το? Στ?χο?
Third Verse
Scamander felt as though the river in his heart had dried
but he could never catch his friend no matter how he tried
he limped along until he could not go on anymore
he sat beneath a tree and cursed the humans’ endless war
He thought perhaps that if he waited, all the blood would stop
but all the humans seemed to want to spill every last drop
he watched the gods above them laughing, urging them to fight
blessing some and cursing others, every day and night
He wondered if he’d rather all his rivers should run dry
or find a quiet valley where no one could see him cry
for years he watched his rivers run with blood beneath the gods
who blessed them all with countless spears and rocks and lightning rods
One day though, he noticed something happening beyond
Athena had just called upon their father to respond
an argument had broken out between two gods of war
Ares and Athena were not playing anymore
Scamander couldn’t hear what they were arguing about
but when a rock struck Ares he could hear his painful shout
Athena wounded him and Zeus said he should not return
but still the fires that Ares started continued to burn
Scamander knew that Ares was a fair, impartial god
the only quality of his Scamander could applaud
but as he watched the injured god of war run off and hide
he noticed that a moment’s peace had come in with the tide
That was when another river, Lethe, passed him by
singing to himself while looking blankly at the sky
“Look at those olympians all arguing again
what is it they see in the affairs of mortal men”
Τ?ταρτο? Στ?χο?
Fourth Verse
Lethe wasn’t often seen, nor was he hard to find
he simply wandered through the realms with nothing in his mind
The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.no one knows what he was like when he ran in Hades
before he drank Hypnos’s waters at a few parties
Now in sheer oblivion he met Scamander there
flowing so forgetfully without a single care
Scamander tried to tell him what the war had been about
but he’d forget it anyway, of that there was no doubt
“All you need to know is that the war has waged too long
and thanks to them, I’m never more to hear my best friend’s song”
Lethe looked in pity at Scamander, stained with blood
who rested on his knees beside the river in the mud
“Dear old friend, I understand the reason for your pain
all the souls that flood my banks are driving me insane
they drink and drink but never quench their thirst because they’re dead
my rivers run as low in hades as your streams run red”
The old forgetful god had understood Scamander’s woe
almost able to recall that they’d met long ago
they were once two babbling brooks who played beneath the sun
long before their streams diverged and warring had begun
Scamander looked up at his old forgetful friend and sighed
as Lethe looked toward a very distant mountain side
“isn’t he the strongest of the gods who like to fight
how was he so wounded that he’s hiding there in fright”
Scamander looked and noticed Ares hiding far away
wounded very badly from the fight he’d had that day
Lethe shook his head and then he said in somber tone
“he should be more careful, he looks weak and all alone”
Lethe’s words were meant to be of pity, but instead
like a bolt of lightning, hit Scamander in the head
he stood and turned to look at Lethe with a cheerful grin
“Lethe, if you help me, I think that we might just win”
Π?μπτο? Στ?χο?
Fifth Verse
Scamander didn’t waste another second sitting down
but Lethe was confused and so he asked him with a frown
“how could just the two of us win anything at war
please remind me also of what we’d be fighting for”
“Listen to me Lethe, for I have a cunning plan
but we shall need to hurry just as fast as we both can
Ares is now weakened and alone well out of sight
finally, we have a chance to put this nonsense right”
“Did you just say Ares, even I remember him
even in that state he could kill thousands on a whim
do you think a pair of rivers ever stood a chance
he could kill a limping river god with just a glance”
“That is true, although it hurts to hear you say it now
I think that it’s possible though, let me tell you how
once, I saw an army fighting with too small a force
but they won because they hid inside a giant horse
We’ll disguise ourselves to earn his trust and then attack
to get some peace and quiet, we must stab him in the back”
Scamander looked intently at his absent minded friend
a kindred spirit on whom he was sure he could depend
“I guess I have no choice if I’m to ever rest again
it’s time that someone ushered peace toward the land of men
after we kill Ares, we can finally relax
we’ll be worshipped as the gods of cowardly attacks”
?κτο? Στ?χο?
Sixth Verse
Lethe laughed and helped Scamander climb the famous hill
Mount Olympus hosted one who they both planned to kill
both were dressed as goddesses, in robes that reached the ground
hiding both their faces under helmets they had found
“Lethe, you’ll be Aphrodite, his old secret flame
I shall be Athena, please just don’t forget that name
you’ll confess your love for Ares, but don’t show your face
I’ll sneak round and stab him while he’s locked in your embrace”
Lethe heard Scamander’s plan at least a dozen times
Scamander even tried to help it stick by using rhymes
eventually he settled on the very simplest plan
in the worst case they could still escape him if they ran
On the way they looked back down upon the land of men
who, without the help of Ares, settled down again
but they knew that he’d return before much time had passed
then a war would wage until old Kronos breathed his last
Both were very thankful that his injury was great
for Ares was to die, but first he’d have to sit and wait
rivers rarely run up hills, and that was half of it
one’s old memory was shot and one was hardly fit
After several days they made the climb to meet their foe
exhausted and confused but both still ready for the show
they found the god of war in tears upon a big tree stump
on his leg a cut and on a head a nasty bump
When he heard the rattle of their helmets he was scared
he was in no mood for fighting, nor was he prepared
“who goes there, now show yourself, you cannot hide from me
if you have no wish to die then I suggest you flee”
?βδομο? Στ?χο?
Seventh Verse
Luckily the pair arrived one cloudy summer night
and it was difficult to see them both by candle light
“it is I, Athena, and I come here bearing news
a friend requests an audience, and you should not refuse”
“Athena, your voice sounds so strange, what happened to your speech”
apparently, her voice had been beyond Scamander’s reach
“It is nothing, brother, I have simply caught a cold
do not waste my time again, when did you grow so bold”
“Apologies, my honoured sister, please do get well soon”
Ares bowed in fear as clouds revealed the glowing moon
when he looked back up he saw Scamander’s strange attire
confused about the helmet, he continued to inquire
“Why do you adorn yourself in such a human thing
to a goddess like yourself, what safety could it bring”
“I shall call our father here, if you don’t watch your tone
how I choose to dress is no one’s business but my own”
Scamander’s honest rage began to seep into his voice
when Ares shrank in fear he knew he’d made the perfect choice
“I know we’ve had our differences, but that’s not why I’m here
I have brought a guest to whom you ought to lend an ear”
Ares looked around Scamander to his other guest
“who are you and why are you so odd, I mean, well dressed”
Scamander nudged his friend to say his lines as they’d rehearsed
but if the Dionysus was nearby he would have cursed
“I am Aphrodite, I am here to, do something
oh, that’s right, it is a lover’s message that I bring
I desire to be with you, wait, who are you again
anyways, I cannot be with any other men”
Ares started weeping tears of joy at what he heard
Scamander thought he’d never witnessed something so absurd
“I guess love makes fools of all” he said under his breath
when, while Ares held Lethe, he stabbed Ares to death
?γδοο? Στ?χο?
Eighth Verse
As if Thanatos had snapped his fingers, he was gone
for the first time in so long, they met a peaceful dawn
Lethe shook Scamander’s hand and said “nice to meet you”
Scamander smiled and replied “yes, it’s nice to meet you too”
Lethe wandered back to Hades, feeling quite confused
while Scamander thanked him for the friendship he’d abused
he limped back down the mountain through a village now at peace
several gods were disappointed that the war should cease
In frustration many gods began to whine and shout
but it made Scamander happy when he saw them pout
he found somewhere quiet by the riverside to rest
satisfied but tired out from his overwhelming quest
He watched with trepidation at the water by his feet
and soon there was no trace of rotten blood or flesh and meat
fish were swimming through the river’s water so serene
the sky was blue, the water clear, and all the grass was green
Just as he began to hum a tune he longed to hear
he began to notice several footsteps drawing near
anxious that some vengeful spirit may be haunting him
he prepared to run but thought he’d rather try and swim
Just before he jumped into the river though, he saw
two gods who had not arrived to enforce any law
Orpheus and Lethe walking slowly side by side
one looked happy but the other looked dissatisfied
“I see you’ve cleaned the river up, I missed you very much
I tried to sing alone, but without you I’d lost my touch
by the way, I ran into this river here last night
if he sat together with us, would that be alright”
“Of course, the two of you are both quite welcome by my side
though he lacks a memory, without him I’d have died”
Orpheus began to play a joyful melody
but Lethe seemed quite anxious as he sat beneath a tree
“You must be Scamander, I believe we might have met
do forgive me sir, there are some things that I forget
recently in Hades war has broken out, so please
let me sit and sing with you both, far from that Ares”
Scamander laughed and limped toward his absent minded friend
welcoming him to a celebration without end
the trio and the world around were peaceful and content
then Orpheus remembered he had two gifts to present
“I have a golden fleece for each of you to match my own
now the perfect blanket won’t be mine and mine alone
the golden ram who fled the world to live among the stars
gifted me his winter coat once when we met on mars”
And so Scamander’s journey story ends with nothing out of place
joyful music in his ears, a smile upon his face
Lethe wandered off once he’d forgotten how to sing
and Orpheus could play his lyre, not bothered by a thing
~