Sleeping Ariadne

Ariadne fell asleep on a rock on the beach. She dreamed of everything that had just occurred. She helped a man kill her brother, ran away from home, and was preparing to marry her brother's murderer, Theseus, the soon to be King of Athens. She fell asleep and dreamed of the first time she saw Theseus. In her dream, she walked to the balcony and looked down at the new group of 14 tributes, she wept. Every year her father, King Minos, would bring 7 of the most courageous young men and 7 of the most beautiful maidens from Athens to Krete, to offer up as a sacrifice to his son, the Minotaur. Minotaur was a horrible creation of half man and half bull. As Ariadne looked down from her balcony, she saw one of the young men was by far the tallest and most handsome of them all. She caught his eye, and her breath stopped. She could not bear for this youth to lose his life to the Minotaur. She spoke quietly to herself:

"I remember the first time,

When our eyes first met,

You said you could make me love you,

I smiled and took the bet,

And as I stood and watched,

You wanted to know my name,

You drew me in,

Like a moth to a flame.

I drank in the sight of you,

Getting drunk from the view

You said, "Don't fall in love too quick"

I said I don't plan to,

But when our lips first touched,

I became undone,

You stole my heart,

You had already won,

I think of that night,

When we first met

I should have known then,

I would owe you a debt,

How can you repay,

A gift of love and caring

All I can give

Is to give you everything"

She decided she would save his life. She snuck into the dungeon where Theseus was held, and told him her plan to help him. Theseus used Ariadne's help and killed her brother the Minotaur. He and the other 13 tributes ran to the docks and boarded a ship to go back home to Athens. Theseus grabbed Ariadne and professed his love for her. Ariadne wept, she knew she would never see Theseus again. He begged her to come with him, and at that moment Theseus got down on bended knee and asked Ariadne to marry him. He promised to take her to Athens and make her his Queen. Ariadne leapt into his arms and accepted. They boarded the ship and set sail. After a few days on the water, Theseus and Ariadne docked on an island to rest. Theseus told Ariadne to sleep, and he would go find food so that they could set sail again. And so, Ariadne slept, dreaming of her new King and husband. As she finally woke up, she looked around her and became frightened. Not only was Theseus nowhere to be found, but the ship that they sailed on was already sailing away far away from her. She screamed Theseus' name, but had no answer. He couldn't just leave her. She ran around the island searching for Theseus, but could not find him, or any living thing. She fell to her knees and wept.

"In all the time that I knew you,

I believed myself content,

To lay by your side day and night,

Until both our hearts were spent,

Now that our love has gone completely,

No shadow yet remains,

How these things just come and go,

I release what my heart no longer claims,

You do not love me, yet I yearn for the mirage,

To accept the false love you once gave,

But I cannot let myself look back

Or else my heart I cannot save,

Yet I still desire an intimate touch,

And soft whispers in the night,

I crave for love that you cannot give

And for this my loneliness has no end in sight."