My life has turned to poison, my love has turned to dust
And I cry the tears of loneliness and of unrequited lust
If the God who formed my body and breathed fire into my soul
Cared at all, then he would show me how to dig out of this hole
Let me rest, let me rest, let me rest,
Oh, God, let me rest, let me rest, let me rest
But it’s me who should stand guilty; I’m the one who did the deed
I’m the one who slammed the doors all shut; I’m the one who spilled the seed
In the rush into tomorrow my conceit was without bounds
Now I feel the heat of brimstone, smell the breath of Hades’ hounds
Let me rest, let me rest, let me rest,
Oh, God, let me rest, let me rest, let me rest
Not a trace I’ve left behind me, not a mark upon the wall
My regret is overwhelming, and my hope beyond recall
In the days that are remaining, in the time that I’ve got left
Pray to God that he’ll forgive me; pray to God he’ll let me rest
Let me rest, let me rest, let me rest,
Oh, God, let me rest, let me rest, let me rest
Cronus (time) and Rhea (ground) begat Hades (death), the god of the underworld and of wealth. His realm was guarded by Cerberus, a three-headed dog with a serpent's tail, a lion's claws, and a mane of snakes. Cerberus was the offspring of the monsters Typhon and Echidna, who also whelped Orthus, a two-headed dog belonging to Geryon, the winged three-bodied giant who was the grandson of Medusa. (Other siblings of the hellhounds included the Hydra and the Chimera -- quite a lineage, which also included the Sphynx, the monstrous Nemean lion, the flying horse Pegasus, the Caucasian eagle that feasted on Prmetheus' liver, Ladon the 100-headed dragon that guarded the golden apples of the Hesperides, Phaea the Crommyonian sow, Gorgon, Scylla, the Colchian dragon that guarded the golden fleece, and the Harpies!)
ReplyDeleteSince Cerberus is the guardian of Hell, the sculptor of the three-headed dog at the entrance to KTH (the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm) must have had quite a sense of humor.)