Sultana Raza, an Indian poet has written a poem about the Parthenon Marbles, following a visit to the British Museum & says that she had the instant feeling that they “did not belong in that museum & were not happy there”. Having experienced the special atmosphere and energy of Greece this summer, she was motivated to publish this poem.

Parthenon en suspense

Caged in grey
granite and stone,
a cold, empty, echoing space

with their delicate fringes
swinging in air

artfully caught
in gossamer marble,

the Parthenon sculptures
imprisoned in time,
draw millions
from around the world,

while they stand
exposed and vulnerable
to every stare and slant,

spending one part
of their long journey
suspended in space,
travelling through time
in their motionless state…

Do they long for
their own balmy airs
echoing with
their people’s prayers?

Do they long to be
warmed by Apollo’s light,
while the Graces dance
to his haunting lyre?

And when time
finally
spins to an end?

Will they carry on and
finish their gestures
as if time never was?

Continue frolicking,
as they transport millions
to timeless dimensions,

luminous fairy places
with sparkling air
and crystal streams

where spirited gods
romp in unspoilt forests,
lush with entrancing
goddesses, nubile nymphs,

while satyrs, centaurs, and
horses run free.

© Sultana Bashir Raza 2005

Other poems by Sultana can be found on her website.