A.N This is a poem I wrote about the myth of Aurora and Tithonus. I wrote it for an English class in High School.
Advice to a Fellow Lovelorn Goddess
I am the Goddess of Dawn, the world wakes
To the beauty that I spread. I sprinkle
Drops of dew and open the flower buds.
Then Sol rides his glowing chariot and
Brings the sunlight to the earth. The world is
Rejoicing in its awakening. One
Day I looked down and there lay a young prince
Covered in the morning dew, sleeping in
The bright sunshine. As he awoke I watched
Him. He stretched his muscled arms. His sleepy
Eyes were a warm brown. His lips were red, his
Hair tussled and messy from sleep. There was
No man more handsome in all of Rome. Our
Eyes met. He looked at me as if I were
A mere dream. He talked to me in a strong,
Husky tone and bid me to tell my name.
Aurora I replied to his request.
He told me his, Tithonus, a proud name.
I was in love with him, and told him so,
His response surprised me. He requested
My hand in marriage. I am a goddess
And he a mortal, it could never be.
He would grow old and die, and I would not.
But when you are young whimsy matters more
than reality. So I pleaded with
Jupiter, the height of godly power,
to grant my love eternal life, so he
may hold me in his arms forever more.
Jupiter did thus decide, and gave my
Love eternal life. But in this he played
A trick. I had asked for eternal life
and this was granted, but though he may live,
Tithonus would grow old and could not die.
Eternal youth was not his and he did
Suffer. As the years passed by, his supple
Limbs lost their strength. His bones became brittle,
His back ached, his muscles stiffened, and his
Teeth rotted. His once-handsome face wrinkled
with age. Soon his hair began to turn gray,
then disappeared. I turned away from him,
Avoiding his piercing gaze, unable
To bear the hurt in his eyes. He blames me.
After all, I was foolish enough to
only ask for eternal life. He should
Not have to endure the pain of growing
Old, with no relief in death. He hates me,
I can tell, for I stay young and do not
feel the burden of growing old. As time
goes on he grows older still, his body
shrinks, and his once-golden voice is nothing
more than the chirp of a feeble cricket
Looking at him makes me disgusted with
myself. The mistake was mine, but he pays
the price for the error of a foolish
Girl. He has become so small that I put
Him in a wicker basket and hide it
In a corner, so that I would not lose
Him. He begs me to let him die, but I
Cannot. So I tell you dear Luna do
not ask for eternal life for your love.
It only brings tragedy and despair.
For those of you who do not understand some of the mythology go look up the myth of Aurora and Tithonus and then also search for Luna and Endymion. My take on it is that after Aurora made her mistake she told Luna not to make the same one. This influenced Luna's decision to ask for eternal sleep for her lover.