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Three Things Alexander Knew
“What can you tell me that deserves such excitement,
except perhaps that Homer has come back to life?”
—Alexander the Great
He conquered the world
And it was too small. How?
The lessons are clear:
He read the Iliad, ignored girls—
Messages were irrelevant. Wow—
If Homer lived again—there
Was the power—Achilles strove
As Alexander did, seized the now,
Invoking gods we don’t dare.
It wasn’t luck—how missiles wove
Each and every way, as though
Designed to miss him, hit air.
No, not luck—his fate furled
Round him perfect as a glove,
Hard as ox-hide, no-one to spare.
.
.
James Sale has had over 50 books published, most recently, “Mapping Motivation for Top Performing Teams” (Routledge, 2021). He has been nominated by The Hong Kong Review for the 2022 Pushcart Prize for poetry, has won first prize in The Society of Classical Poets 2017 annual competition, and performed in New York in 2019. He is a regular contributor to The Epoch Times. His most recent poetry collection is “StairWell.” For more information about the author, and about his Dante project, visit https://englishcantos.home.blog. To subscribe to his brief, free and monthly poetry newsletter, contact him at [email protected]
The quote sets up this poem nicely. Fascinating way to start the poem and then the rhyme scheme skipping through the three-line verses. A pleasure to read and for cogitation.
Thanks Roy – as military person yourself, I am sure Alexander must hold a special fascination for you? Certainly, even as a non-military person, he does for me: certainly one of the most striking individuals in all of recorded history, and he has cast a long shadow. Glad you appreciated the rhyming pattern.
Epic stuff! – Those missiles weaving around him, designed to miss. Reminds me of Rommel’s near misses leading charges from the top of his tank. I would call it Providence – but it’s amazing how many near misses some of these military leaders had. Guess a pure logician would say those had to have been near misses or they wouldn’t have lasted long enough to earn fame.
Epic? – thank you Jeremiah, a favourite word of mine as I have just completed my 3 volume epic, The English Cantos. But if this small lyric also has the flavour – the whiff – of high heroism, then you have made me very happy! And BTW, I’ve always wished to have an epic name like Jeremiah Johnson: the alliteration, the Biblical prophetic, it’s poetry itself! Don’t change your name!
James – The English Cantos are on my to-read list! Possibly this summer (I’m currently reading The Divine Comedy through for the third time with a group of colleagues from my university and feel primed to dive into your contemporary re-imagining – if I may think of it that way?) As for my name, I’m regularly informed by those of my parents’ generation that there is a great western film, “Jeremiah Johnson.” If you had asked my father, he would’ve said I was name after that movie – a roundabout way of naming me after himself, as he very much resembled that character 🙂
Yes, I think I saw that movie back in the 70s, Jeremiah – starring Robert Redford? Let me know if you want to be on my monthly poetry newsletter – it’s free – [email protected]
Alexander seems to have been fixated on Achilles: both of them were energetic young men, both were fierce fighters, both chose everlasting fame over long life, both led an army, and both were impetuous.
One difference is that a certain arrow was aimed at Achilles, and did manage to hit him.
A great little poem, James!
You are so right about that arrow Joe: but then, of course, Paris was guided by Apollo, the archer – who can resist that? The Persians had no such helper! Glad you liked it – thanks.
As brief as Alexander might have made it, had he been a poet. Almost seems as if he is the speaker, outlining his concerns. The final item–his fate–is something he didn’t know, and yet that topic absorbs the last stanza here, leaving me wondering if James Sale favors any of the several theories on Alexander’s death. Or do you simply convey your own wonder about the destiny and the event, James?
That there is a mystery surrounding his death, Margaret, only adds to the mystique; and we note that one of only a handful of people who could be compared with Alexander as a military commander, Napoleon, also died in mysterious circumstances with the strong suggestion of poison. It’s not a definitive biography (in the UK probably Robin Lane Fox’s is the one), but I do like Graham Phillips’ Alexander the Great: Murder in Babylon and the evidence for poisoning as he writes his murder mystery! Thanks for commenting.
James, this reminds me of the Robert Duvall character, Bill Kilgore (what a name!) in the movie, “Apocalypse Now” strutting around and totally immune to the death and fire going on around him. A good read. Thank you.
That was one film, Jeff!!! And Duvall is always great. Thanks for liking it.
The flexible rhyming scheme, rhythm and abundant enjambement work together to make a neat poem. I couldn’t help thinking how welcome some of those ‘designed to miss’ missiles would be in certain parts of the world today.
Thanks Anthony – yes, if only!
One of the greatest, albeit ruthless, adventurers and conquerors of all time. From what I’ve read, he pushed his men relentlessly until, reaching Inda, they had had enough.
Thanks Cheryl – yes. Indeed, it was on the return from India that he nearly met his own end, but certainly a huge swathe of his army did, as he recklessly decided to cross the Gedrosian Desert, which is located in present-day southern Iran and Pakistan, around 325 BCE. But even here his heroism prevailed: one immortal story concerns the scouts ahead who returned with a helmet full of water – for him to drink. In full view of all his remaining troops, he poured the water on the ground – if they didn’t have any, he wouldn’t. The effect on morale was electric.
A great inspirational poem, reminding us that fortune favors the bold. I find the form particularly intriguing, with the interlocking rhyme scheme of the first two stanza lines and the constant third tying the stanzas together. It also required a second reading to digest fully, which I consider the mark of a well-written poem.
Thanks Adam – it’s not a popular idea that you have to read a poem twice in order to digest it, but you are right. That is the beauty of poetry: it is not baby food, but meat for the soul.
A short, lyrical comment with engaging form. I read it aloud a couple of times-it’s better that way. 🙂 Ignoring distraction, he boldly embraced his fate, daring to conquer. He was not oblivious, only accepting of the outcome.
Yes, Linda – like Achilles, he knew he had to fall. Really pleased you read it out loud – there is so much more in poetry when this occurs. Thanks.
I appreciate this poem’s reverential tone. Of course—not sure if you’re aware of this, James—but Alexander was the most devious representative of toxic masculinity to ever have lived, the forefather of colonialism, and a murderous mansplainer.
I once read that when Alexander died his body didn’t show signs of decomposition for quite some time. Truly a man of destiny, emphasized by the repetition of the “not luck” phrase. The “ox-hide glove” metaphor is striking. Fate is indeed both flexible and impenetrable. Your short, punchy lines and enjambment echo the energy and decisiveness of Alexander himself.
One of the best stories about Alexander is how he cut the insoluble Gordian knot with one savage blow of his sword. He never sat around discussing and debating things. He just acted decisively.
No, I had no idea that Alexander was a devious representative of toxic masculinity, and of course if I had I would never have written this poem; quite frankly, it’s disgraceful – the poet and the poem. Regarding your other point about punchy lines and enjambment echoing the energy and decisiveness of Alexander himself – thank you. Energy is a big word in my world and life is all about having massive amounts of it – God willing.
Perhaps it is relevant to note that Alexander won every battle with an army of a third of the size of his enemies. He alone was able to unify the army which fell apart after his death. Also the Persians were attacking Greece long before Alexander.
Thanks Maria – yes, to your historical points. One can never be certain about what might have happened if things were otherwise – if Hitler, for example, had not, against his generals’ advice, divided his army into 3 when he reached Moscow and so made that far-reaching mistake that undermined his whole mission. Similarly, if there had been no Alexander, and the massive Persian empire had not been brought down so spectacularly, would the Roman Empire even have arisen, and would the Europe we know today ever have come into existence? His fate furled round him … and with him, us today.
The Persians (i.e. the Iranians) have always been nothing but trouble to the West.