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A Travelogue of Wonders

My friends, I’m here to speak of wondrous sights.
The first, at Alexandria’s port, was built
By Sostratus. Of all the harbor lights,
This brilliant beam, when lit, outshines the gilt
Of gold! Through darkest fog, through twilight’s gloam,
Through stormy seas—it guides the mariner home.
O how that Pharos lighthouse beacon gleams,
While we, of pillowed heads, set sail to dreams!

And then we voyaged down the river Nile.
We disembarked at Giza’s vast plateau,
Where pyramids, in grand Egyptian style,
Create the most magnificent tableau!
The tallest, meant to serve as Pharaoh’s tomb,
Is also meant to be a nascent womb
For afterlife. Embalmed and mummified,
He’ll someday resurrect—deified!

Returning thence, our caravan bore east,
Traversing barren seas of desert sand,
For which I rode the dromedary beast
To Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylon, a land
Of art and ease. The Hanging Gardens please
The eye with date and pomegranate trees,
Cascading waterfalls, and fragrant flowers—
A scene suggesting paradisiacal bowers!

My stay was all too brief, as rugged roads
Due north and west awaited; then, at last,
We crossed the sea and reached the isle of Rhodes,
Where stands the huge Colossus statue cast
From weapons left behind—mainly bronze—
When Rhodes’ army bested Macedon’s.
Colossus keeps dominion o’er the land—
The torch of freedom carried in his hand!

There’s more to see on Asia Minor’s coast,
Where overlooking Halicarnassus, one finds
The stately tomb of Mausolus, the most
Aesthetic ever born of Grecian minds
To date. The columns number thirty-six,
With gods’ and goddesses’ statues in-betwixt,
And sculptures—hundreds—carved in bas-relief.
It’s so ornate, this monument to grief!

But when I saw the Temple of Artemis,
I thought that I was standing at Olympus,
To see the rows of gilded columns kiss
The sky! Great throngs of people crowd Ephesus,
Where scores of merchants, visitors, and kings
Pay homage, offer precious stones and rings
To Zeus’ daughter. She deserves no less,
As goddess of the moon, the hunt, and wilderness!

And then there’s Zeus atop Olympia.
His throne’s adorned with gems and ivory
Imported all the way from India!
His right hand holds a ribboned Victory;
His left, a scepter. Built on sacred soil,
It took the sculptor Phidias years of toil.
From olive crown to robe of ‘broidered gold,
It truly is a vision to behold!

My friends, I understand. This journey’s not
For everyone: at times, it’s dangerous;
The sea is changeable; the desert’s hot
And dry. The trek is long and arduous,
But if you have the means and luxury
Of time, you owe it to yourself to see
These sights. Although I must be on my way,
I thank you all for coming here today!

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Cheryl Corey is a poet who lives in Connecticut. “Three Sisters”, her trio of poems about the sisters of Fate which were first published by the Society of Classical Poets, are featured in “Gods and Monsters”, an anthology of mythological poems (MacMillan Children’s Books, 2023).

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15 Responses

    • Cheryl Corey

      Russel, as I went through the research and writing process, it was my way of making the journey as well!

      Reply
  3. Cynthia Erlandson

    What a beautiful presentation of many wonders of the world! “While we, of pillowed heads, set sail to dreams.”; and “barren seas of desert sand” are among my favorite phrases.

    Reply
    • Cheryl Corey

      Cynthia, I feel lucky any time I discover pleasing words and phrases that not only I, but others find enjoyable.

      Reply
  4. Roy Eugene Peterson

    Cheryl, this is one of the most brilliant poems I have ever read. It is replete with vivid historical details of scenes, some of which are long lost in time. Your magnificent rhymes are inspired, as is your beautiful phraseology. If I were to list the greatness of your phrases, I would be quoting your entire poem. As you can tell, I am deeply enamored with this poem and your skill.

    Reply
    • Cheryl Corey

      Roy, stop! I’ll get a big head–although I will say that this is the most ambitious poem I’ve written to date. My original thought was to write seven stanzas of seven lines for the seven wonders, but I found it hard to contain the subject matter. You could write several stanzas on any one of these wonders! Oh, if only they were all still in existence in all their glory!

      Reply
    • Cheryl Corey

      Allegra, part of what inspired me was imagining someone who visits all of the sights, then returns home and tries to convince others to do the same.

      Reply
  6. Paul A. Freeman

    My dad had a set of 1935 encyclopedias which made very dry reading of the Wonders of the Ancient World.

    They could have done with your poem, Cheryl.

    Reply
  7. jd

    I agree with everything said above – a masterful poem. I thought “we, of pillowed heads” charming and relatable.

    Reply
  9. Drilon Bajrami

    Beautiful poem, Cheryl, I very much enjoyed that journey.

    I wrote a sombre fictional poem based on the Ancient Wonders as an epigraph for my novel (editing the first draft as of now), so seeing a more up-beat and fun poem about the wonders is a nice change.

    Reply

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