Accursèd fate!
your face, a flow'r,
entrances me with sinful pow'r;
and to with you share ev'ry hour,
O, would I blight our bloods.
I fear not for the Hell we're taught
to fear for fear we'd've laws forgot,
and fear not I, though this 'ffair ought
be pun'sh'd by Heaven's floods.
We cannot bonds of blood adhere,
so beg, consider this, my dear,
as we'll be made to disappear
and our love made to shush:
have we to from this world away,
if possible, ere break of day;
and lest we be discov'r'd, I'll pray
our passage shall be hush.
'Tis not our fault that this romance
rose from our boiling blood by chance,
requiring us to take a stance
to love in pain or pleasure.
My world will be one dark abyss
if never could I your lips kiss;
thus we must each our bloods dismiss,
their judgements of displeasure.
We'll love for long, I have no doubt;
but our bad blood will not allow't,
and at us curses they will shout
to tear us both asunder.
As whom to love us they will teach,
as 'gainst our love to us they'll preach,
we'll wont to wish to other each:
"Godspeed on th'Devil's thunder."
25/01/16
Poet's Notes
I was inspired to write this poem about forbidden love as I was deeply touched by the near-forbidden romance of Aragorn and Arwen in The Lord of the Rings. Another name that comes to mind when thinking of the notion of forbidden love is Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, as he was, at least towards the end of his life, homosexual; back in the day, it would be a great sin (much more than it is now) to be a gay man, making his love life immensely complicated and Pathetique (pun purely intentional). However, the theme of familial bonds in this poem comes from none other than William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.
The idea of forbidden love through familial bonds can be one of the most heartbreaking instances a person can experience, in my opinion. As the person has no choice in determining what blood runs through his veins, it would be a rather oxymoronic tragedy as love, as much as it could be a choice, is lead by the heart. Looking back at my history of forbidden love, I've experienced, to some degree, a situation similar to this, where family was the determining factor that decided my relationship was a sin. Akin to the poetic persona, I have also gone against my "bonds of blood," and I suppose my actions inspired the rebelliousness I've given the persona. Even in the past, the notion of forbidden love has intrigued me as I've once written a (bad) short lay-like poem entitled The Tragedy of Herrick and Kayla Kruger, if any of you IGCSE Drama classmates out there recall. I suppose this tragic topic simply catches my attention, as love is always a gamble of pain and pleasure, especially within forbidden relationships.
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