Favored were the sons of Leda fair,
By heaven graced with strength and hunter's eye.
Engendered by a creature of the sky,
The twins faced destiny beyond compare.
They'd sail the Argo for a fleece so rare.
To kill the Calydonian boar they'd try.
Pollux immortal, Castor doomed to die,
How they excelled in all that they did dare!
But envy can be born of such great deeds,
And pride hastens the downfall of us all.
So Castor fell by mortal uncles' hands,
And grieving Pollux thus to Zeus did plead
To set them both among the stars withal.
So are the twins remembered in all lands.
The Marquez of Santillana wrote sonnets in the Petrarchan rhyme scheme in late 14th/early 15th century Castilla, although he is more remembered for his "folk" poetry, his villancicos. His sonnets were forgettable allegories concerning classical themes, of and Greek and Roman mythical deities and creatures. I only say this because I am using a classical theme, and I am afraid this is not one of my better efforts. There are many songs and poems coming out of the recent act of barbarism that are of a more martial bent. I thought I would try a different approach. I may have come up with something too cool and distant only because I was an eyewitness at a safe distance purely by the accident of oversleeping. In a way, I am trying to expiate the guilt I feel for not being where I should have been last Tuesday. The story of Castor and Pollux was only too obvious a starting point.