Ulysses’ Love Of Penelope

Twenty long years

He was apart from her

Twenty long years

Since the day of their son’s birth

Some same that he never came back at all

Dante in his Inferno

Says to have met Ulysses

In the Eight Circle of Hell

Ulysses confesses his sins of malice in the Trojan War

Dante proclaims

That Ulysses

Sailed out with his crew

Past the Pillars of Hercules

And into

The warm western seas

For five long months they journeyed

To seek adventures anew

Tennyson writes

That when Ulysses got home

He complains

About how his beloved Ithaca has changed

And how

His wife is ugly, withered and old

And longed to go

Once again out upon the sea

To forever seek adventures

But, how can any of this be?

He loved his Penelope

Twenty years

Twenty years

Twenty years

He missed her everyday

And counted the moments

Until he could see her again

Feel her under his arms

Make love to her in Ithaca’s sands

He waited so long

And braved far too many dangers to get home

If he didn’t love her

He would have stayed

With Calypso on her heavenly island abode

Ulysses loved Penelope

More than life

More than anything

So those who say

He sought adventure again

In warm western seas

Should look at their love

Because he would not leave

His beloved Penelope