Alexander

Alexander! What a beast!
Lion's chest and tiger's fist.
Perfect body, complex soul -
Recipe for a coming storm.

Alexander! What a beast!
He's an emperor of Greece.
First in battles and attacks,
Never hid behind the backs.

Alexander! What a beast!
He ranks high in every list;
Great and fearless, brave and cool,
Evil, merciless, and cruel.

Alexander! What a beast!
Neither devil nor a priest.
He's a builder of new roads,
He's a leader of new worlds.

Alexander! What a beast!
How can even he exist?
Like a fireball he lived
Thriving  cities overkilled.

Ruthless king and mighty lord
Conquered all the Ancient World.
In the chariot he rides,
I suggest you better hide.

Macedonia! Sweet home!
Lion's nest and dragon's tomb;
Olive gardens and vineyards -
This is where our journey starts.

At the time Greek city states were
In the constant state of war,
When one city was getting strong,
Others make it overthrown.

Philip II is well known,
Made golden coin of his own,
Innovated the warfare,
Trained his army very well.

Coalition of Greek States
Met in meadows King of Spades.
What a battle! Such a mess!
Philip won and called congress.

Aristocracy depressed
And democracy under press,
Under monarchy there is
Risk of tyranny increased.

Philip gets dealt cold deck:
Someone stabbed him in his back -
He had enemies in Greece
Or it was Persia - his Nemesis.

Because he tried to start campaign
Against Persia. Risky game!
He had plans, but now he's gone,
Could his son hold on the throne?

Alexander is young, but now
He must rule. Does he know how?
When your father vilely killed,
Alexander, are you thrilled?

Let's go back a little while,
Alexander rarely smiles,
Envy of his father's wins
Alexander grew his wings.

Still a teenager he was
When he tamed Bucephalus horse -
Something no adult can do,
And he won a sidebet too.

When Philip was on campaign
Alec didn't wait in vain,
He received the  Persian embassy
Despite his adolescence.

Alexander heard from friends:
"You should join Olympic Games!"
So he said and not even blinked:
"Only if I'll race with kings!"

Alexander loved to read,
Book was everything he needed,
Under pillow he always had
A knife and Homer's "Iliad."

Stubborn, purposeful, and tough,
He was taught a mystic stuff,
In the town Elysium
Unseen matters could be seen.

In his 18 Alexander
Has already led the phalanx.
Was he ready to be king?
Yes, and he was dreaming big.

Alexander leades dispute:
"Rebels tribes must pay tribute!"
He met comrades at the beach
And gave a patriotic speech.

After couple struggling tries
He suppressed barbaric tribes;
Meanwhile, Thebes and Athens
Not with Alex, but against.

Alexander reached the Thebes,
The Oracle predicted solar eclipse.
Outnumbered and besieged,
Thebes didn't hurry into lion's clinch.

They resisted very well
But eventually, they fell.
Alexander called the congress -
Thebes destiny is at the desk.

Many enemies of Thebes
(Which themselves without nimbuses)
Sentenced citizens to slavery -
Working hard and living painfully.

Alexander says, "Okay."
He wants rebels to obey,
And he wants to show to Greece
That obedience is bliss.

Thebes in violence and plunder,
Zeus threw in Alexander
Lightings and thunder: "Look at Thebes!
Alexander! Stop these tears!"

After storming will be still,
After anger - mercy will.
Alexander bites his elbows
And gives orders to stop his mobs.

There was a woman in the Thebes,
She was robbed and raped it seems.
The rapist asked with voice of cold:
"Do you have some kind of gold?"

Timoclea answered: "Yes.
Let me show you where it is."
When he looked into a well
She kicked hiss as and he fell.

And she threw a lot of rocks
In this well with snakes and frogs
And he died, and his comrades
Arrested this Queen of Hearts.

She was pure and proud queen,
In the chains of rusty steel
She was brought to Alexander -
"Who are you?" - he calmly wondered.

"I'm a sister of Theogenes,
When you shouted on feasts "Cheers!"
He fought for Greece democracy
Against your father's dictatorship!"

Alexander quite impressed:
"There's big heart beneath that breast!
Let her and her children go,
Her abuser was rude and dull."

Now Athens proceed with caution,
They don't want another portion
And they open city gates
And Macedonia invades.

Here occurred another council,
Persian conquest wasn't canceled,
Demosthenes left in Thebes
With his democratic dreams.

Conquest ready to begin;
Wait a minute, where's the king?
He moved to Delphi by the sea
To hear Pythia's prophecy.

Time was wrong, and door was closed,
Alexander broke in with force,
Pythia was irritated some:
"You're unstoppable, my son!"

"This is all I need to hear" -
Alexander has no fear,
He is striking, purposeful,
Independent like a wolf.

He was passing by Corinth,
Diogenes - here he lived.
Alexander gave his word:
"Ask me anything You want."

Diogenes proud and wise,
Kings and servants he despised.
So he answered: "Listen, son,
Please, stop blocking me from the sun."

Alexander is impressed:
"Diogenes is the best!
If I wasn't Alexander,
I'd like to be Deogenes."

Ships are ready in the harbor,
Warriors try on they armor,
Blacksmiths forging swords and spears,
In the gardens grapes and pears.

Fisher catches fish with net,
Houselord collects his rent,
Peasant mowing hay with scythe,
Gods are watching from the skies.

All is ready for campaign,
Alexander wants to pay
Everybody in advance
And he gives away his wealth.

So Perdiccas asked him once:
"You paid money in advance
To your army and craftsman,
But what did you leave for yourself?"

Alexander hated greed:
"Hope," - he answered with the heat.
And Perdiccas refused his salary:
"Being with You is gold itself."

Hellespont is a waterpass,
Is it crossable? Perhaps.
Persian army stretched and slow
Left it unguarded. What a blow!

Alexander went ashore,
Here he played a little show -
He made a sacrifice to Poseidon
And laid a wreath to Achilles' mound.

Persians set up camp nearby,
Camels graze, and people sigh,
One of the generals was Memnon wise,
He gave Persians good advice:

"Instead of taking battle risks
We better flee and burn cereals -
He couldn't feed his horses and men
And this would ruin his ambitious plan."

But Persians underestimated the Greek,
They sit and laugh, they eat and drink:
"This Alexander is upstart,
Defeating him will not be hard."

Two armies met on the opposite banks
Of the river Granicus. Hence
Somebody had to cross it first,
And Alexander pays this cost:

"Hera, Athena and Artemis!
Let my weapon never miss,
Ares horrible and tough,
May my conquest never stop!"

Alexander said his prayers,
And his army march with pace,
And the earth trembles and shakes
And bookmakers raise the stakes.

Cooper armors shining bright,
Soon two armies will collide,
And like two mountains rockslides,
The enemies begin their fights.

War is the survival test;
Here, a spear pierced into chest,
Here, an arrow hit the eye,
But the glory wouldn't die.

Alexander eats his apple,
He is striking and restless,
He rashes right into battle
With rampage like Hercules.

Macedonians aren't timid,
Persians already hesitate,
They reached their bravery limits,
And their willpower fluctuated.

Darii's army quite confused,
Cavalry was poorly used,
Alexander takes the lead,
Darii cowardly retreats.

In the forefront of his troops
Alexander faught. But oops!
A sword was raised above his head,
But he was saved by Cleitus Black.

Alexander gave a feast
To feed conquerors of East,
He made Cleitus his bodyguard,
And gave him his best vineyard.

After losing Hellespont
Darii has to make respond;
To the east his troops retreat,
Alexander can repeat!

In his letter Darii prays:
"Alexander! Give me a break!
Take yourself my Western land
And my gorgeous daughter's hand."

Alexander's answer was quick:
"Darii! I'm on winning streak.
I will conquer all your land
And still have your daughter's hand."

In the Sardes local chief
Opened gates without grief,
In the town Halicarnasus
Antique amphoras and vases.

Ada queen met Alexander
Like a saver and defender,
He helped her to get back on horse
And gave her a yellow rose.

In Miletus' city walls
Cannons throwing cannonballs,
The Greek army was hi-tech,
With siege engines on the track.

In the Phrygia arrived
Alexander great and bright,
Once, here was a peasant king,
Named Gordias. But here's the thing:

In the city citadel
Stays his ox-cart. What the hell?
Gordias tied a complex knot,
Can You untie it? I can not.

Alexander straightforward guy,
You can steal what others buy,
And he solved this riddle quick -
To cut the rope was his instinct.

In the Tarsus, after vat,
He in the icy river jumped,
He got sick and almost died,
But his body won this fight.

Meanwhile, Darii nearby
Raises hands up to the sky:
"Lord of wisdom, God Ormuzd,
I will kill one hundred bulls

Just to show You my respect,
Compared to You, I'm an insect,
In Your honor I'll build the most
Beautiful and highest mosque.

Let me punish Alexander,
Send him hunger, plague, and cancer,
In Your name in Babylon
Will be party until dawn."

Darii's army is a human mass,
Macedonians have class;
But if they meet in open plain,
There would be a lot of pain.

Darii crossed a mountain range,
He is looking for revenge;
But in the Issus he found out
That Alexander has left on a parallel route.

So the kings castled like in chess,
But it's Darii who's been chased,
Alexander returns to Issus
(He's crossing borders without visas.)

Alexander starts the attack,
After that there's no turning back;
Macedonian phalanxes
Forcing river under rain of arrows.

They collided into squad
Of Greek mercenaries. What?
There were Greeks in Persian camp,
War is business, don't You get?

And attack began to drag,
Darii started counterattack,
Parmenion commands defense
And sees the risk of encirclement.

It was time for fearless deeds,
Alexander never quits -
He broke through the Persian flank -
Put all money in one bank.

Darii not that far from here,
When lion roars, then cheetahs fear.
Darii saddled a stallion
And left his army fight alone.

Darii dropped his golden bow,
Thus, morality dropped low,
A rumor spread with speed of flare
That king had fled like a hare.

Darii's army also fled,
Alex entered Darii's tent -
So much luxury and style:
"That's what means to rule empire!"

Phinikia was the center
Of the Persian navy force,
Cyprus welcomed Alexander,
But city Tyre closed its doors.

Citadel was on the island
Tyre didn't want a tyrant;
Siege had lasted seven months -
Seven months like seven monks.

Greeks threw tons of sand in sea
And made a sandsplit as we see -
And connected isle with land,
But first seizures was repelled.

Tyre's people did their best,
They put invaders to the test,
They destroyed their pier not once,
Poured hot sand on Macedonians.

One night citizens of Tyre
Had the common collective dream,
That Apollo said: "I'm tired
Of this democratic shhit."

So they treated him like a traitor -
Put his statue to hang on rope;
Alexander is invader,
He's a conqueror with hope.

Once he heard his older profit
That the siege will end this month,
It'd be just another day at the office
For Alexander and his guys.

But the crowd began to notice
That it was the last day of the month:
"We will conquer Tyre, I promise!
Disbeliever! Shut your mouth!"

And the army gathered its strength
And begin a big assault,
And eventually defense
Crumbled like a rocky salt.

Now when Asia Minor is conquered
Alexander looks at West,
And his army never stumbling
Has reached Egypt very fast.

"To the Egypt?" - "Yes of course," -
Prince of Persia took his course,
And Egyptians nice and smooth
Put their kingdom to his shoes.

Everyone bewared his wrath
But Alexander wants more -
He wants to be the Amon-Ra,
Buddha, Brahma and Allah.

So he wants to see the main
Oracle. But his domain
In Sahara dry and glow
In oasis. Here we go!

In the desert sand and dust,
In our general we trust!
How much water we have left?
One helmet for thousands thirsty men...

Alexander - what he thinks?
He is proud like a lynx;
He took helmet, took a pause,
And turned it over like a boss...

"If I'd drink it, I'd be good,
But my comrades - here they stood.
If it's not enough for all,
Noone should've drinked at all."

Alexander did a good act
And he gained a big respect,
And his army reached the spot,
The Oracle called him "Son of God".

Armies moving back to East,
Alexander! What a beast!
Hippo, rhyno, crocodile -
Africa is big and wild.

In the delta of the Nile
In the swamp there is an isle,
Here the Pharaoh built estate -
A world center of culture and trade.

Dinocrates architect
Planned Alexandria perfect,
Here was people of the world,
It was tropical New York.

Alexander! What a beast!
He's enigma, like Anubis,
Like Osiris, he's undead,
He's so lethal, like God Seth.

Deserts, camels, pyramids,
Skies and stars, and sands, and winds,
Sphinx is a guardian of time,
Mummies asleep - they didn't die.

Show must go on, and this crusade
Moves back to East a long parade,
And Gaza strip is on their way,
And they dare to disobey.

Alexander begins assault:
Blood and sand, and sea, and salt.
First attempts failed, but soon
Greeks will bring the Tsar Cannon.

City punished and enslaved,
But their courage will never fade.
Army goes to Northern East,
Wounded could go home dismissed.

In the occupied territories
Macedonians controlled
Finances and army forces,
But they leave to locals admingossips.

After negotiations failed,
Darii heavily exhaled,
He collected all his strengths -
Persia isn't up for grabs!

Alexander reached Tigris:
"Parmenion, report, please!" -
"Persians on the other bank" -
"Turn off the lights and go to bed."

"At night we may take them by surprise!" -
"To take a rest is my advice."
And Darii didn't sleep all night,
And starved his army before fight.

Alexander feels the best,
Darii nervous and unrest;
They begin deciding round,
Elephant made his trumpet sound.

Chariots begin attack -
Darii, are you back in black?
No, it was a poor attempt,
Darii shouted: "Goddammit!"

A gap formed in Persian flank -
Here goes Alexander's phalanx!
Darii was afraid to death,
Wars are more difficult than chess.

Darii yet again retreat,
He left there his pride and greed,
Alexander looks ahead,
But Parmenion is asking for help.

Persians had local success,
But they couldn't make progress.
King has fled, and so did they
Showed no desire to stay.

After Gaugamela is lost,
Darii wants for any cost
Buy a peace. So he will send
Epic sum to Alexander.

Parmenion admitted: "If I were
Alexander, I couldn't ask for more!"
Alexander said: "Me too
Wouldn't ask, if I were You."

Alexander takes a seat,
Takes a paper, feather, ink,
And he writes his answer back:
"Darii! Pull down your flag!

Persia has to pay the cost
For Greece insults that it caused,
Our sword is our revenge,
Peace is nonsense at this stage."

Alexander made it clear:
"I will hunt You like a deer,
It's not a time to be polite,
Make your choice - to run or fight."

to be continued... (about Babylon, India, and more)

Источники:
1. С.И.Ковалев, "Александр Македонский" (монография)
2. Плутарх, "Сравнительные жизнеописания. Александр и Юлий Цезарь" (перевод Дестуниса)
3. Plutarch's Parallel Lives
4. Гомер, "Илиада" (перевод Гнедича)
5. Даниэль Шлюмберже, "Эллинизированный Восток"
6. Макс Мюллер, "Египетская мифология"
7. Я. Липинская, М. Марциняк, "Мифология Древнего Египта"
8. Н.А.Дмитриева, Н.А Виноградова, "Искусство Древнего мира"
9. M.I. Dubrovin, English-Russian school dictionary
10. Oxford dictionary
11. Google translate


Рецензии
That Apollo said: "I'm tired
Of this democratic shhit." Очень актуально!

Сергей Брохоцкий   12.08.2024 20:48     Заявить о нарушении
Аристотель выделял три формы правления: монархия (власть одного), аристократия (власть меньшинства) и демократия (власть большинства), при этом он считал, что любая из форм может быть и хорошей и плохой. Так, монархия может превратится в тиранию, аристократия в олигархию, а демократия в охлократию.

Лесь Украинец   15.08.2024 20:37   Заявить о нарушении