Theseus

Henry Fuseli: Ariadne Watching the Struggle of Theseus with the Minotaur (1815-1820)

Theseus

A dusk filled nether-land I roam,

torch brandished high against the gloom,

a length of cord to lead me back

outside the Earth's infernal womb.

I dread the moment when I'll meet

the creature that I've come to seek.

Half-man, half-beast

A hideous sight -

ruler of this realm of night.

I lift lead-heavy limbs.

When will it end, this constant downward trudge?

Have I been here for hours or days?

Time itself loses its way

in the shadows of this maze.

My guiding flame is smothered by the fetid air,

puts up a valiant fight

then flickers weakly,

starts to die

in fits of

choking

smoke.

In the feeble light

of embers still aglow,

a dark mysterious lake no man has seen before

appears. 
Throat scorched, lips parched, 

I drag myself towards its edge

to slake my thirst.

I face the water's surface, 

still as glass.

There,

staring back at me,

smiling heinously 

the Minotaur I see.

Master of the Campana: Theseus in the Labyrinth (1515-1520)