‘in heavenly realms of hellas dwelt’ by e e cummings

in heavenly realms of hellas dwelt

two very different sons of zeus:

one,handsome strong and born to dare

—a fighter to his eyelashes—

the other,cunning ugly lame;

but as you’ll shortly comprehend

a marvellous artificer

now Ugly was the husband of

(as happens every now and then

upon a merely human plane)

someone completely beautiful;

and Beautiful,who(truth to sing)

could never quite tell right from wrong,

took brother Fearless by the eyes

and did the deed of joy with him

then Cunning forged a web so subtle

air is comparatively crude;

an indestructible occult

supersnare of resistless metal:

and(stealing toward the blissful pair)

skilfully wafted over them-

selves this implacable unthing

next,our illustrious scientist

petitions the celestial host

to scrutinize his handiwork:

they(summoned by that savage yell

from shining realms of regions dark)

laugh long at Beautiful and Brave

—wildly who rage,vainly who strive;

and being finally released

flee one another like the pest

thus did immortal jealousy

quell divine generosity,

thus reason vanquished instinct and

matter became the slave of mind;

thus virtue triumphed over vice

and beauty bowed to ugliness

and logic thwarted life:and thus—

but look around you,friendsand foes

my tragic tale concludes herewith:

soldier,beware of mrs smith

The Oxford Book of Satirical Verse, ed. by Geoffrey Grigson (Oxford, New York, Toronto, Melbourne: Oxford UP, 1980), 391-2.