Years
later
During
King Philip’s reign
A
prince was born.
“This
boy will be great,”
The
soothsayer said,
“He
shall be called a lion”
“The
he-goat king of Javan.”
“Macedonia
is too small for his ambitions.”
A
horse came from Thessaly
He
tamed it
His
father was amazed.
Aristotle
came to teach him
In
the palace of Nymphs.
The
lion gave the book that guided
The
Macedonian lion to his destiny.
The
young cub grew.
His
father sent him off to hunt
When
a new prospect came for love and other things.
“My
son,”
He
said to the boy,
“Macedonia
is too small for your ambitions.”
“Leave
this country.”
“Fulfill
your destiny.”
With
that he went back to his new concubine.
From
out of the shadows
Philip
died.
Called
from his wilderness
He
took the throne.
His
attacks to east and west
Brought
a final peace to his Balkan homeland.
Athena,
Ares and their friends
Fell
to their knees
When
they saw him in their land.
Zeus
adopted him at Olympus
Handing
him his lightning fury.
“Greece
is too small for you my boy,”
Zeus
whispered in his ear.
He
pointed eastward
Where
the sleeping dragon lay.
“You
have a duty to your people”
“To
slay that evil dragon.”
“Go
out.”
“Conquer
the world.”
Racing
eastward on his trusty ox-head-steed he cut the dragon to pieces
Eagerly
thrashing at Gordium’s famous knot.
From
Anatolia to Egypt
He
raced
Where
he gave the Nile a thinker’s light.
He
pushed the dreaded serpent back.
Charging
the ram in great rage
Hunting
the dragon’s dreaded servant.
From
Pella to the Indus
Shattering
Media and Persia’s horns
Proclaiming
himself the king of these mighty kings.
When
his conquered people stood up out of the dust
They
asked who it was that came
So
that he can be properly worshipped as a god.
“Alexander,”
was the reply
From
the lion in all his armored glory
Then
he collapsed.
