[Editor: This poem by Una Shaw was published in Birth: A Little Journal of Australian Poetry (Melbourne, Vic.), August 1922.]
Aribadzos.
Aribadzos, merchantman
From Tarshish far away,
Decked in robes like the red sun
Upon midsummer day.
Aribadzos, trafficker
In myrrh and jewels and gold,
Has come by ship to a young land,
Which yet is very old.
Aribadzos, merchantman,
With the red jewels on his heart,
Chaffering with the merchantmen
In the loud city mart.
Aribadzos, trafficker
In spice and jewels and gold,
Has bought him a new merchandise
Where the richest wares are sold.
Aribadzos, merchantman,
Who came by the black ships,
Has bought himself a young girl
With bright eyes and red lips —
Decked in robes like the red sun
Upon midsummer day,
To be his slave in a distant land,
In Tarshish far away.
Una Shaw
Source:
Birth: A Little Journal of Australian Poetry (Melbourne, Vic.), August 1922, p. 69
Editor’s notes:
chaff = tease; banter; joking about or teasing in a good-natured or light-hearted fashion
mart = market
myrrh = a fragrant reddish resin, sourced from Commiphora trees, which has been used to make incense, medicine, perfume and anointing oil
Tarshish = a city or region of ancient times (it is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible), the location of which is unknown, although it is believed to be located somewhere in the Mediterranean region (possible locations include Carthage and Sardinia)
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