written and posted by members of Lancashire Dead Good Poets' Society

Saturday 8 June 2019

Running Sacred

The title of this Saturday's blog is meant to induce a double-take. Yes indeed, running not scared but   sacred  - though I have to confess that it's not an original play-on-words. I owe it to Exene Cervenka's 1990 solo album of the same name; (thanks Exene, one quarter of famed LA punk band X). However, I think it's a perfect description of Hermes, main subject of this week's outpouring.

That's Hermes as in 'Messenger of the Gods', not the handbag manufacturer. (Sorry if that disappoints, ladies - though the Parisian company was named in recognition of the satchel that Hermes used to carry his dispatches in.) His other epithets include the boundary-marker, the ram-bearer, the trickster, the stealthy. He was a son of Zeus, second youngest of the Olympian Gods; and in addition to his satchel he was famed for his winged sandals, winged cap and winged staff (or kerykeion), all of which are evident in the depiction below.

Hermes (left) being dispatched to Earth
Young Hermes, because of his parentage and duties, was able to move freely between heaven and earth. By day, in addition to running sacred as divine messenger, he was also, by virtue of his constant mobility, the god of boundaries, roads, trade, commerce, travellers, herdsmen, heralds, thieves and tricksters - quite a portfolio. He was well-known as a guide and guardian to both Gods and mortals and a bringer of good luck. He was the divine ally of the Greeks in their war against the Trojans and a particular protector of Odysseus.

By night he was the god of social and sexual intercourse, a 'conductor of dreams' and he also served as conveyor of souls to the underworld. Then in his spare time, he invented the lyre (thereby inaugurating the entire lyrical tradition) and many types of sport - running and wrestling among them - which led to him being revered as a patron of athletes and the Olympic games.

As such, Hermes richly deserves his standing among the Olympian Gods in the Hellenic hall of fame. He is one of my favourites, a mercurial and complex character and one of the most enigmatic of divines as well as being the precursor of magicians and jokers.

Over millennia, it is in his role as messenger that he is chiefly regarded; and it was perhaps inevitable that he would feature on Greek postage stamps (as well as those of many other countries) in the pioneering days of modern postal systems and airmail services.

Greek stamps featuring the winged messenger
I've blogged about the exploits of Antoine de Saint-Exupery before and I retain a fascination for the man, his heroic feats as an early aviator and the beautiful books he wrote, by far the least among which is The Little Prince, the work he is most famous for.

An aristocrat whose passions from a young age were planes and poetry, St. Ex became a fearless pioneering pilot on the early Aeropostale routes between France and its West African colonies from Morocco down to Senegal (and later down the spine of South America).  I'm sure at times he felt that, like Hermes, he was running sacred with his cargo of airmail correspondence, moving faster and more freely than any mortal before him between 'civilisation' and the outposts of the French empire. He navigated by sight during the day (following the coastline of West Africa for the most part) and by the stars at night in aircraft that could prove unreliable and in conditions that were often wildly unpredictable.

As he wrote in his wonderful books, such a trail-blazing lifestyle truly was living on the edge and his brushes with mortality were many. I like to think that Hermes, god of roads, commerce and heralds, was keeping a benign eye on Saint-Exupery's endeavours - as a kindred spirit - and interceding with the fates when required.

Night Flight of the Airmail
My latest poetic effort is in tribute to Saint-Exupery and I need to preface it with a quote from Stuart Gilbert (who translated St.Ex's early works Southern Mail and Night Flight into English):

"Any fool can find his way, a poet alone knows how to lose it"...

Wing/Prayer
Fragile yet complex as a sycamore vane,
spiralling to ground through Andean cloud
somewhere between starless heaven and hell,
I try to haul this stubborn plane out of another dive
for the love of my life and the precious mail.

The factors which most age a man
are baldness and weight - maybe inconstancy too,
though that's hard to tell from a passing glance.
At least up here I am weightless,
flying-helmet close-fitted to my thinning scalp.

In wrestling with this recalcitrant Latecoere
I put out of mind your latest blatant affair,
momentarily consumed with concentrating skills
and muttering a prayer on the off chance
as I manage to climb once again on shuddering wing.

I am contracted to bring orders to commandants,
love letters to lonely hearts at the continent's end,
so like a latter-day Hermes I wend my aerial way,
quicksilver messenger first, man second, happier by far
to be plying these strange skies where I feel free

than facing up to earthbound miseries, unfaithful acts,
the physical toll of growing old. And when it falls
time for me to tumble from heaven's grace*, let me trace
my passage to the underworld in a blaze of glory
that I should be remembered thus, forever bright as air.

*Antoine de Saint-Exupery died as he would have wished, in a plane crash, in 1944. He was barely as old as the century. "When your gods die, you die," he had written in Citadelle, "for you live by them." So it proved.

Thanks for reading, have a good week. S ;-)

36 comments:

Boz said...

As weird and wonderful as might have been expected there la!

Rochelle said...

That's another truly lovely poem.

Tom Shaw said...

Very good my friend.

Matt West said...

All Greek to me!!!! (LOL) I see in Twitter you've just become SLO at the club - nice one buddy, congrats.

Anonymous said...

Your blogs are an education. Your poems are an inspiration. Thanks for sharing and keep it up.

Nigella D said...

Love the poem, especially that last verse.

K. Worth said...

Another fine blog and poem. Thanks for sharing. Recommendations for what Saint-Exupery to read first?

Stu Hodges said...

Agree with comments above. Another fine read and interesting poem.

Virgil Caine said...

I like the cut of that Hermes fellow's jib. Interesting blog and poem 👍👍👍

Steve Rowland said...

Kevin, my favourite is 'Wind, Sand and Stars' (1939), followed by his earlier books 'Southern Mail' (1929) and 'Night Flight' (1931). If you get hooked and want a biography, Stacy Schiff's is the one to go to. Happy reading.

Deke Hughes said...

Steve, it's just an observation (probably best ignored) but your poem reads as if it could be two poems hooked together. By that I mean that the last two verses could actually stand as a fine poem in their own right. Just thought I'd share that feedback as it struck me quite forcibly.

The Existentialist said...

So did Hermes possess the first 'man bag'?

Steve Rowland said...

Deke, I'll give that some thought.
Exi - actually, I think he possessed the first 'god bag' :-)

Heather said...

Another inspired and interesting blog. Hx 😊😊

Anonymous said...

A most entertaining read and a fine piece of poetry. Well done that man.

Seb Politov said...

Absolutely brilliant blogging and poetry.

Poppy Deveraux said...

How wonderful to fund this among your back posts. I loved The Little Prince and it was fascinating to read about the man who wrote it. What a brilliant poem too.

dom said...

Awesome.👏

Mike Flanagan said...

I was only familiar with The Little Prince. This is a fabulous read and a great poem.

Jodie Ridehaulgh said...

Wonderful words.

Lawrence Gleave said...

This was fascinating. Beautifully written and illustrated and what an excellent poem.

Fin Taverner said...

What a brilliant post. I've read 'Southern Mail' and 'Wind, Sand and Stars'. Both are compelling and poetic. Your poem is poignant and very well done.

Millie Baxter said...

I loved this. ❤️

Heidi Whitfield said...

A lovely read. Your poem is beautiful.

Tamsin Permaul said...

I loved The Little Prince when I was young, knew nothing of the author until now. What a great blog and terrific poem. 👏

Madeline Fontaine said...

Brilliant and so unexpected to find a blog about A de St-Ex! It's a fine poem. Thank you.

Jen McDonagh said...

What a lovely blog and what a wonderful poem.

Tif Kellaway said...

Fascinating and beautifully written. Hermes as conductor of dreams, I love that. The comments are a treat as well (the 'man bag'/'god bag' exchange made me smile). And the poem is very moving. 🤎

Ruud Permaul said...

An excellent post and I love your poem, man. (Thanks to Tamsin for the link.)

Moira Byrne said...

This was such a good read and I love the poem Steve.

Melissa Davy said...

Yes, wonderful blog and poem. 👏

Elaine Stevens said...

I loved The Little Prince. I didn't know anything about the author till now. What a wonderful poem.

Gilles Sabonnères said...

Formidable!

Clem Bardeau said...

Magical writing. What a fabulous blog and poem. You've inspired me to read what inspired you. I've ordered 'Southern Mail/Night Flight' for starters as you referenced those works.

Vasiliki Tsangari said...

Lovely about Hermes. And a wonderful poem.

Carl Lawrence said...

Terrific blogging. It made me want to read some St. Exupery again. I think your poem is fabulous.