{"id":6144,"date":"2020-06-11T18:23:48","date_gmt":"2020-06-11T18:23:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/?page_id=6144"},"modified":"2020-11-20T10:40:54","modified_gmt":"2020-11-20T10:40:54","slug":"%ce%b1%ce%b8%ce%ae%ce%bd%ce%b1-%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%b1%cf%80%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b7-%cf%80%cf%8c%ce%bb%ce%b7","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/%ce%b1%ce%b8%ce%ae%ce%bd%ce%b1-%ce%b1%ce%b3%ce%b1%cf%80%ce%b7%ce%bc%ce%ad%ce%bd%ce%b7-%cf%80%cf%8c%ce%bb%ce%b7\/","title":{"rendered":"Athens, beloved city"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote>\n<p><em>A music<\/em><br \/><em>that took centuries<\/em><br \/><em>to reach me!<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>With the echo of your old triumphs I was coming every time<br \/>to find you, just to get to you<br \/>I reached the Eleusinian Mysteries - to the stone that never smiles<br \/>I was searching the ruins to find a sign<br \/>an oracle<br \/>emerging from the cracks<br \/>And right across, at the sea of Salamis<br \/>I saw the ancient god again<br \/>dancing around<br \/>again the bloodied prince<br \/>who had a palace in Ecbatana<br \/>and came to die in this narrow sea<br \/>in this Acheron<\/p>\n<p>The Medes never left<br \/>everywhere I look<br \/>I see them with a different name different crests<br \/>For centuries they are lurking you, Athens<br \/>With their evil eye fixed on you<br \/>\"the eye that destroys\", said Melambus<br \/>the priest standing high on the altar<br \/>And still he screams through the ruins<br \/>\"Away with you blasphemers...\"<br \/>Nobody hears him anymore<br \/>and those uncivilized skulk in your sleep<br \/>planting nightmares<br \/>This is how I used to find you and then lose you<br \/>I was finding you in moments of sacred pride<br \/>And losing you in a hidden traitorous stream of blood<br \/>Which one is your \"prosopo\", Athens?<\/p>\n<p>So many ancient masks lying around you<br \/>from tragedies lost<br \/>so many wreaths of gods who worshipped you<br \/>olive leaf branches that still smell of sweat<br \/>and cry of triumph<br \/>But on your moonless nights<br \/>when darkness howls in the streets<br \/>you slide in the bloodied gutter<br \/>in the fires in the anger<br \/>unfortified<br \/>beauty was never a fortress.<\/p>\n<p>And I, the three thousand year old wanderer<br \/>I still walk your streets, searching for you<br \/>I reached Colonus<br \/>and I saw Antigone holding her blind father<br \/>I saw your loving light polishing the shadows<br \/>I smelled basil and jasmine and mint in your gardens<br \/>And later, as the night came<br \/>a lonely cry echoed<br \/>from your shadowy corners<br \/>No... I wont<br \/>I shall wait right here, Athens<br \/>to see you back on your feet<br \/>with your own primordial powers<br \/>Upright, menacing<br \/>Against your far away lustful lovers<br \/>And cry: \"Away with you blasphemers...\"<br \/>For the gods to embrace you once again<br \/>Once again to be loved by those who had forgotten!<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Published in the calendar of the Hellenic Authors' Society, 2018<\/strong><\/em><br \/>With the title: <em>Reading Athens<br \/><\/em>With purple dye from the Attican matin<\/p>\n<p>Beauty was never a fortress!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/book\/%cf%89%cf%82-%cf%89%cf%81%ce%b1%ce%af%ce%bf%cf%82-%ce%bd%ce%ad%ce%ba%cf%85%cf%82\/\">Connection to the book<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/wp-admin\/post.php?post=6144&amp;action=edit\">\u03a4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03c0\u03bf\u03af\u03b7\u03c3\u03b7<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u039c\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bc\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03ba\u03ae \u03c0\u03bf\u03c5 \u03c7\u03c1\u03b5\u03b9\u03ac\u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03ba\u03b1\u03bd\u03b1\u03b9\u03ce\u03bd\u03b5\u03c2\u03b3\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bd\u03b1 \u03c6\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03b9 \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b5\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03b1! \u039c\u03b5 \u03b9\u03b1\u03c7\u03ad\u03c2 \u03b8\u03c1\u03b9\u03ac\u03bc\u03b2\u03c9\u03bd \u03b5\u03c1\u03c7\u03cc\u03bc\u03bf\u03c5\u03bd \u03ba\u03ac\u03b8\u03b5 \u03c6\u03bf\u03c1\u03ac\u03bd\u03b1 \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b2\u03c1\u03c9, \u03ad\u03bb\u03b5\u03b3\u03b1, \u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03bf \u03bd\u03b1 \u03c3\u03b5 \u03b2\u03c1\u03c9\u0388\u03c6\u03c4\u03b1\u03c3\u03b1 \u03c9\u03c2 \u03c4\u03b1 \u039c\u03c5\u03c3\u03c4\u03ae\u03c1\u03b9\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u0395\u03bb\u03b5\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2 \u2013 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b7\u03bd \u0391\u03b3\u03ad\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c4\u03bf \u03a0\u03ad\u03c4\u03c1\u03b1\u0388\u03c8\u03b1\u03c7\u03bd\u03b1 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b1 \u03b5\u03c1\u03b5\u03af\u03c0\u03b9\u03b1 \u03bd\u03b1 \u03b2\u03c1\u03c9 \u03c3\u03b7\u03bc\u03ac\u03b4\u03b9\u03ba\u03ac\u03c0\u03bf\u03b9\u03bf \u03c7\u03c1\u03b7\u03c3\u03bc\u03cc\u03bd\u03b1 \u03b2\u03b3\u03b1\u03af\u03bd\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b1\u03c0\u03cc \u03c4\u03bf \u03c1\u03ac\u03b3\u03b9\u03c3\u03bc\u03b1\u039a\u03b9 \u03b1\u03bd\u03c4\u03af\u03ba\u03c1\u03c5, \u03c3\u03c4\u03b7 \u03b8\u03ac\u03bb\u03b1\u03c3\u03c3\u03b1 \u03c4\u03b7\u03c2 \u03a3\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03bc\u03af\u03bd\u03b1\u03c2\u03b5\u03af\u03b4\u03b1 \u03be\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac \u03c0\u03b5\u03c1\u03b9\u03c7\u03bf\u03c1\u03b5\u03cd\u03bf\u03bd\u03c4\u03b1\u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03b1\u03c1\u03c7\u03b1\u03af\u03bf \u03b8\u03b5\u03cc\u03be\u03b1\u03bd\u03ac \u03c4\u03bf\u03bd \u03bc\u03b1\u03c4\u03c9\u03bc\u03ad\u03bd\u03bf \u03c0\u03c1\u03af\u03b3\u03ba\u03b9\u03c0\u03b1\u03c0\u03bf\u03c5 \u03b5\u03af\u03c7\u03b5 \u03c0\u03b1\u03bb\u03ac\u03c4\u03b9 \u03c3\u03c4\u03b1 [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","spay_email":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6144"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6144"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7589,"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6144\/revisions\/7589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/marialampadaridoupothou.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}