Arcadia: A Land of Bliss
A poem about Arcadia
inspired by Ancient Greek Wisdom
Oh! Holy Arcadia, land of naked
Pan
Country of colours, ideals
and great fun
Full of mountains, hills
and rocks of granite
Fables, stories and ancient
myths to ignite
You give new ideas to our
creativity
Firing the waves of our
spirituality;
You lead us to your altar of
high altitude
To strengthen our bonds of
steady fortitude
You created for Pan a fast-running
wild contest
Providing a word to all that
defines him best;
You made him chase away
frenzy and malevolence
Bonding your land of happiness
with kind benevolence
Oh! Greatest and most glorious
Arcadia
Alter ego of mountainous divine
Gaia
You bring us all closer to
God’s Dominion
Driving away from the traps
of eternal oblivion.
Always remembering the following story
of Kallisto:
‘KALLISTO (or Callisto) was a daughter of
the Arkadian King Lykaon, son of Pelasgos who was the first man who ever lived
in Arcadia and led his people out of their primitive stage of Golden Age and
introduced certain aspects of civilization such as eating acorns instead of
grass, leaves, and roots. They all lived in the forests and mountains in pure
innocence and harmony.
Kallisto was a hunting companion of the
goddess Artermis. Kallisto is derived from Greek ‘kallistos’
meaning ‘most beautiful’. In ancient Greek mythology Kallisto was a nymph who
was loved by Zeus, the father of the gods. She was changed into a she-bear
by Hrea, and subsequently became the
Great Bear constellation in the sky. Kallisto was revered as a goddess
in Arcadia as her son Arkas gave this mountainous land his name, Arcadia’.
