In twilight’s veil where shadows weep,
Stands Iphigenia poised on fate’s steep,
Her heart a squall of fear and grace,
In this sacred mournful space.
Before the altar where incense swirls,
She feels the weight of destiny unfurl,
A pawn in god’s immortal game,
Her life a glimmer – a fugitive flame.
In eyes that once knew youth’s bright gleam,
Reflects the world a shattered dream,
A daughter’s love – a sister’s sigh,
In the silence before the last goodbye.
Resigned yet vicious she meets her end,
With courage through her soul does rend,
Betrayed by those she held so dear,
Her oblation, a fate desire.
Yet in her heart a flicker remains,
Defiance midst her silence pains,
For in this moment ethical and true,
She finds a strength the gods never knew.
Her final thought – a mumble prayer,
For those she leaves in deep despair,
A bonfire in the darkest night,
Iphigenia, a sacrificial light.
In quiver hands she holds resolve,
Her spirit fierce, her fears dissolve,
For in her sacrifice she finds,
A motive vast to all gods binds.
So, nub of the incense and pyre’s glow,
Iphigenia with head held low,
Accepts her fate, her final breath,
A twirl with gods in life and death!
A pure soul so sweet and delicate
Let fate win solace from god’s dictate,
Kisses her father to leave his victory,
Against the Trojans who unfolded rivalry!
By Leo Thimasha Gunawardhana
(About Iphigenia’s thoughts before her sacrifice by her own father – King Agamemnon, in order to have a blessed wind for the sailing of ships to Troy under the guidance of goddess Artemis for the victory of the Trojan war)
