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In a far away land, in beautiful Ithaca
there was a king with valiance and grace
Ingenious they called him, in both north and south
His name was Odysseus, he knew well of pain
I was him, Ithaca's King
And now in my garden, the shackles of slavery
I await to reach the coast of the sea
I see the ship arriving, the chanter of the past
“Palamedes, son of Nauplius and Prince of Euboea,
welcome to the Kingdom, the place of worship
of Ithacus, son of Poseidon. What news do you bring?”
“From afar, from Troy.”
I fell silent then, listening to my son
He was with me, next to me and a single of my own tear
ran down slowly his little cheek
“What news do you bring? What nightmare are you doubling back?”
“The war will happen finally.”
“Prince, you wound me. But you are unlucky, Odysseus is not here.”
“But then who are you? Why do you keep his cattle?”
“I am a servant yet without logic.”
“So then?”
“So then... I am mad. My mind I don't keep. That's why they have me here to keep the cattle.”
And for a moment I thought I had managed to confuse him. To befool him, to –at least I– deceive him
But the Gods, as it seems, weren't on my side
For he opened his mouth and spoke his purpose
“Alright, alright, I understand. You're not the one I'm looking for. Yet tell me, madman, is this child another's? Because there is no way Ithaca's King would let his son, his only Telemachus, in another's embrace
One like you who hides great danger.”
I didn't speak, I didn't cry out, I didn't make a sound
“Or did you steal it in your madness?”
“Palamedes, son of Nauplius and Prince of Euboea, I may be crazy but not as much for me to steal the only son of ingenious Odysseus.”
“Or are you the ingenious one, the king of Ithaca?”
And he opened his arms in the Aegean sea
He took my son strongly in his arms and he lifted him from the stone
And he placed him in front of the cattle's gaze
“Odysseus, son of Laertes, your lie is over. And I assure you, if you don't come to Troy, so will your son.”
My gaze immediately changed, filled finally with fear
“Palamedes, son of Nauplius and Prince of Euboea, why have the Gods sent you with such bitterness?
To kill me, I would prefer it rather than my son Telemachus to have me to bury.”
“Then finally go to Troy with a ship
For your time is running and rumors quickly hurry in the City's ears.
Or do you perhaps prefer to lose your honor, together with your wife to downgrade class?”
I didn't let that slide.
“Oh, shut your mouth, you vulgar and idiotic man!
You who have come from the deepest parts of Greece to tell me ugly and bad news!”
He didn't say anything
He got on his ship and it was as if he was never seen
~~~
Ten years I have now fought endlessly
With enemies like demons and aiders unchangingly
We continue in Troy's divine castle
Yet I never forgot, I will not let
For Palamedes, son of Nauplius, to tyrannize me
I will put an end to all of this, I will name him a traitor
And me and Diomedes will tell the others
that money he was hiding from us all this time from Troy
“I didn't do anything and, if I did, why am I at fault? Why didn't you listen to what I told you?
I told you from the start.
We wouldn't have a good time with him.
And now that he is dead,
You mustn't doubt me.”