MODERN HYMNS AND POEMS FOR ARES

Prayer to Ares
by Melia

Hail Ares!
Strong One, Steadfast, Unwearying Defender
Leader of the Righteous, Governor of Rebelliousness
Giver of Bravery & Courage, Manly One, Untamed
Look kindly upon me so that I may reject
cowardice and avoid deceitful impulses.
Help me to restrain the fury of my heart
which leads me in the ways of strife.
Rather, oh beloved of Aphrodite, encourage me
to peace and gentle works.
Enable me to stand firm when necessary.
Help me to be the best that I can be.
Hail Ares!

Ares
by Lykeia

O Ares, crimson ribboned, lion-roaring, proud vanquisher,
Fierce god, of splendid and terrifying countenance,
Equally you measure out your force among the race of men,
Every ground and foundation stone carrying your imprinted stance.
In shadowy places fighting relentlessly upon glorious battle grounds,
There you rule, a warrior, a towering guardian, and unconquerable wall,
Shattering the ravenous chains of conflict from an ageless breast,
The enemies,destructive armies, felled and dark banners fall.
Beneath the rains a sigh, terror and pain are washed away
And the land, she smiles as she recieves sunlight upon her face,
Revealing the hidden bower where golden Aphrodite waits
Upon a blossom bed where Harmony is born within your embrace.

Epithalamia for Mars and Bellona
by Phillupus

Put aside arms for the ploughshare,
O Red One, increaser of grain,
and quicken the wombs of cattle and sheep.
Who among goddesses is more valorous
than Ma-Bellona, whom Greeks style Enyo?
Therefore let her festivals be your feasts,
Marmor of far-reaching fame
with a hundred names in Gaul and Britain.
Put aside dalliances with Venus,
though Roma has been enriched from them,
and unite yourself to Nerio Victoria.
Such a pair so well-matched
never made as enviable a wall of refuge
as Duellona and Mavors Alator.
May the trumpets of war be silenced
for the flutes of the wedding feast!
Your virtues entwined, Bellona and Mamers
will be born as the excellence of legions,
the mother hailed as Mater Campestris;
your progeny on earth will enrich
the womb of Tellus with fertile soils
as nourishment for corn and crops.
I sing the couple beloved of men,
father Mars Ultor and Ma-Bellona,
and thank the gods for such a coupling!

Lone, Weary Warrior
by Allyson Szabo

He stands alone, above the blood-soaked fields,
Dark eyes narrowed and smoldering.
His solitary form seems to fill the sky,
Yet is invisible to the weary wounded there.
He watches, silent and brooding,
As the dead are piled on the pyres
And the living are evaluated.
Black, cracked lips part, breath blowing out hard;
There are moments that even he doubts.
A child clings to its mother,
A mother long dead and mouldering.
He stares, examining his handiwork without comment.
Seeing him, one might think him soulless, heartless.
Sometimes, he wonders, too.
How can he continue, day by day,
Inflicting such horrors upon the world?
Because it is necessary, in the Grand Scheme.
But no one understands, even the other gods.
And they wonder, yes they do,
Why he goes to her perfumed bower
Where the iron stench of blood disappears.
They chuckle behind pale, unstained hands
As he sheds his crimson armor,
And bares his pale, untouched flesh to her.
Even she doesn't understand,
But at least she sympathizes.
Her swan-soft skin, glowing like apples in the sun,
Trembles beneath his calloused fingers,
And he knows peace.
Briefly.

Ares' Abode
by Melia

barren forest, savage mansion.
iron walls, iron portals, iron columns
shadows drape the walls
strong Watchers at the outer gate
strong Warriors in the courtyard
altars covered in war-spilled blood
fires lit from burning cities
spoils from every land
prisoners wailing
fragments of gates, ships and chariots
faces reflecting every form of violence
skilled depictions made by the smith-god
war steeds pound the valley
adamant barred gates fly open
covered in gore, Ares comes riding,
blood spatter feeding the fields,
behind, more spoils and more prisoners

Is it any wonder
that he longs for the fair abode
where lovely music plays
sweet flowers and soft silks
there She awaits, sweetly scented
Attended by nymphs

The Gift
by Melia

"Give me something..."
"Oh!  I got this golden crown on my last..."
"No.  Something you've made."
He looks at his hands.
Callused from weapons use.
Scarred from taking hits in the course of his duties.
The same duties that she once had long ago.
Things were different for him then.
He may have been able to carve something crude
But not now.  He has lost the knowhow.
He's lost the ability.
Certainly nothing to compare with her beauty.
Or with the gifts from the Master Craftsman
That decorate her bower, her person.
It is just one more thing he can't give her,
Can't be for her.
He looks up at her.
One large solitary tear rolls out of his eye.
Concerned, she reaches up to wipe it away.
As she touches the tear, it solidifies
and settles into her palm.
Eyes wide, she cradles it.
"It is beautiful."

Hymn to Ares
by Rebecca Buchanan

Ares
Bold
Boisterous
Dreadful
Unconquered
Tamed but once
    (by the Foam-Born)
Who rejoices in the song of copper spears
    and iron cavalry and
    hot blood
Hold tight the leash of Strife
    and Woe and
    Fear and
    Mad Terror
    who embitter mortal lives
Take rest with Perfumed Love
Let loose Peace
and Abundance
and Good Striving
    -- plowshares from swords


Who Are You, Ares?
by Amanda Sioux Blake

Who are You, Ares?
The mighty wall-scaler
Who lays waste to cities
Boisterous and Bloody

Who are You, Ares?
Noble Ares the city-defender
Who repels the enemy at the gates
Courageous and just

Who are You, Ares?
A confusing dichotomy
The God on both sides
Supporter of both armies

Who are You, Ares?
God of the civil order
Inspirer of civil unrest
From whence came this contradiction?

Who are You, Ares?
Just a violent, brutish war-monger?
Laughter-loving Aphrodite loves You,
So there must be something more.

Who are You, Ares?
Father of Deimos and Phobos, twins of Fear and Panic
But also of Harmony,
Born from the union of Love and War

Who are You, Ares?
You still strike fear in my heart
What am I missing?
What is it I do not see?

Who are You, Ares?
A God of conflict in all forms
From whence change is born
The genesis of revolutions.

I know You now, Ares
I recognize your gifts
Conflict is neither good nor evil –
Our responses define the outcome.