I r i s S o c i e t y o f A u s t i n
Poems by Dana Lovvorn
Pandora’s Purple
Veiled in royal purple,
a beautiful girl,
named “All-Gifted” by Zeus
smelled sweet and beguiled
all with her charm and curiosity.
Meant as a gift for Epimetheus,
brother of Prometheus,
Pandora was not a gift
but a punishment
to the Titian brothers who
had given men fire.
A closed chest,
the other of Zeus’s gifts,
invited Pandora’s desire to learn;
its hidden contents
fulfilled the revenge of Zeus
to wound the Titans and mankind.
She opened the chest.
The world’s evils stung and flung out,
except for Hope.
Losing her godling status,
Pandora became a mortal,
Mankind’s first woman.
Reminding me of a myth
I loved as a child
and taught to children,
Prolific and sweet,
the lovely iris opens each Spring
releasing the scent of Hope.
10-96
Veiled in royal purple,
a beautiful girl,
named “All-Gifted” by Zeus
smelled sweet and beguiled
all with her charm and curiosity.
Meant as a gift for Epimetheus,
brother of Prometheus,
Pandora was not a gift
but a punishment
to the Titian brothers who
had given men fire.
A closed chest,
the other of Zeus’s gifts,
invited Pandora’s desire to learn;
its hidden contents
fulfilled the revenge of Zeus
to wound the Titans and mankind.
She opened the chest.
The world’s evils stung and flung out,
except for Hope.
Losing her godling status,
Pandora became a mortal,
Mankind’s first woman.
Reminding me of a myth
I loved as a child
and taught to children,
Prolific and sweet,
the lovely iris opens each Spring
releasing the scent of Hope.
10-96
