The Birth of Venus, by Dan Curley

detail, The Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli (Italy) 1483–1485

​The Birth of Venus

No one mentions her feet.
Enough with dreamy eyes
 
And billowing, amber hair
Long as need be for the
Modest work at hand.
 
And what hands! Nimble,
Quick, whether they will
 
Pluck lute strings or guide
The shuttle’s wefting trail.
But, oh, her feet, which
 
Bring a wistful survey
Of legs to a grinding
 
Halt! They are hideous
Loaves of unrisen dough,
Making up in finger-
 
Length toes all they lack
In ankles. The story goes,
 
The goddess saw Praxiteles
At work and wondered
When he’d seen her nude.
 
Sandro, what did she say
About you? Never mind --
 
An attendant is here, already
Unfurling a cloak of spring
Blossoms to censor the body
 
Of her mistress. Please,
Let her bring shoes, too.

Dan Curley

Dan Curley is an Associate Professor of Classics (Saratoga Springs, NY). Though he often makes his students write ekphrases, this is his first ekphrastic poem. His first collection of poetry, Conditional Future Perfect, was published in September 2019 by Wolfson Press.

The Birth of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli (Italy) 1483–1485