The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead

Venus Frigida, by Jenna Le

9/27/2016

1 Comment

 
Picture
Venus Frigida, by Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish), 1614.

Venus Frigida

                   “Sine Cerere et Baccho friget Venus” -Terence

The Frozen Venus is the image caption,
a homage to the jaundiced Latin maxim,
“All love grows cold when food and drink are absent.”

Depicted in a sickly green-lit landscape,
the fair-flanked goddess squats on balled red fabric
and hugs her wind-nipped trunk to fend off gangrene

from frostbite, while her infant son emits a rattly
cough in the vicinity of her waxen
knees. She pointedly ignores a goat-eared man-beast,

an umber muscled satyr, hovering blackly
mere inches from the pair, a bulging basket
on his arm.—I don’t buy it for a fraction

of a second. I’ve been cold before. If Madam
Venus were really cold, she’d grab that damask
she’s sitting on and wrap it round her fat-knobbed

back. I’ve been cold. If I were in this tableau,
I’d grab pale Cupid, press him to my mammaries,
absorbing all his heat. Good Lord, I’d gladly

tackle the brown goat man himself and wrassle
him to the dirt. That Terence was a hack:
if love were great enough, it’d conquer. Come back.

Jenna Le

​Jenna Le is the author of Six Rivers (NYQ Books, 2011) and A
History of the Cetacean American Diaspora (Anchor & Plume Press, 2016). Her
poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and translations appear or are forthcoming in
AGNI Online, Bellevue Literary Review, The Best of the Raintown Review,
Denver Quarterly, The Los Angeles Review, Massachusetts Review, The Village
Voice, and elsewhere. Her website is http://jennalewriting.com/

1 Comment
Anne Howard
1/17/2020 07:30:59 pm

Hi Jenna, This is an interesting poem. I have looked at all the references. I was unaware of the quote from Terence, so I learnt a lot today. Although the general meaning seems to be without food and drink Venus is physically cold, I had the idea that maybe she is emotionally frigid, although that doesn't account for why Amor looks cold. Of course, there is also the old idea ( through the ages) that excessive food or drink could stimulate sexual desire. I hope you are well, thanks for posting this link and congratulations on your success. BTW I received a (surprise) distinguished service award not long ago from the Fellowship of Australian Writers for 30 years service to the group, and have been giving workshops, judging comps and was successful in a few comps last year, but am not writing enough! I don't know how you get time to do so much. Cheers, Anne.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    The Ekphrastic Review
    Picture
    Current Prompt
    COOKIES/PRIVACY
    This site uses cookies to deliver your best navigation experience this time and next. Continuing here means you consent to cookies. Thank you.
    Join us on Facebook:
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture



    ​
    ​Archives
    ​

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015

    Lorette C. Luzajic theekphrasticreview@gmail.com 

  • The Ekphrastic Review
  • The Ekphrastic Challenges
    • Challenge Archives
  • Ebooks
  • Prizes
  • Book Shelf
    • Ekphrastic Book Shelf
    • Contributors' Book Shelf
    • TERcets Podcast
  • Workshops
  • Give
  • Submit
  • Contact
  • About/Masthead