who bore him, but he waited till the sun
had set before he said it. Only one
person protested: Lord, you’re right to shun
the queen and keep her locked inside her tower,
but though you’ve conquered all of Greece, your power
can’t match the sun’s. Her crime is not your shame.
And if they call it shame, well, I can name
great heroes with worse wives—or almost worse.
And don’t forget Hephaistos, whose perverse
wife disdained his ingenuity.
If this can happen to that god, then we
mortals must bear wives’ misdeeds patiently.
When Daedalus concluded, Minos wrung
phrases from Greek that proved no barbar tongue
could rival its declined obscenities.