Saturday, 3 April 2021

THE LABORS OF HERACLES # 05: THE AUGEAN STABLES

Heracles when driven mad by the goddess Hera

Murdered his three children and his wife Megara

The Delphic oracle punished him for the murders

By ordering him to perform the Twelve Labors

The labors were set by king Eurystheus his cousin

The fifth labor Eurystheus Took great pleasure in

He chose a Labor he hoped would be demeaning 

And he was sure would humiliate his heroic cousin

Heracles was to clean the stables of King Augeas

And he must do it in a single day to have success

King Augeas possessed for years vast herds of cattle

Their deposits of manure was to be Heracles battle

So much had been deposited by the cattle of Augeas

That a thick aroma hung over the Peloponnesus

But Heracles Instead of using baskets and shovels

He diverted two rivers through the Augean stables

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