Part 59 (1/2)
I had enjoyed the afternoon, and I found Archelaus appealing But only as I found : the priest of Serapis who came to me whenever I wished to celebrate an anniversary or ; the woman who tended the lotuses in the palace pool, and fashi+oned delicate necklaces fro They were all attractive hus, armed my heart with their wit, skill, or kindness Theyto awaken that part ofwith Caesar And neither did Archelaus I could not i, I had no wish to Nor could I iht, as I lay in bed and felt the hot air of sus inabout about them was not the same as the immediacy of actually the thinking thes could so to study could incite a desire to do so, stiion could pique interest in it, make you want to travel there and experience it But passion could not be piped forth, could not be lured from its den by any known device or trick It seemed to have a stubborn, independent life of its own, slu forth when there was no reason for it, nowhere for it to spend itself
I wished I could will myself to feel desire for Archelaus, but I could not, it see stirred withinI was as still as the sacred lake of Isis, where I had swuht
Chapter 42
The winds blew across the Mediterranean, bringing shi+ps and news I was apprised of everything that was happening on all fronts--froe to Antony's rollicking progress across Asia Once in Italy, still weak, Octavian encountered difficulty after difficulty, fro to be paid, for whom he had no money, to the predations of sextus on the Ro, Antony cli
For a while Antony continued to send ers to ”invite” me to attend him Finally they ceased, and I had no o, when it suited me, and in awith Rohts about it, the truth--which I finally had to admit to myself--was that when I bore a son as half Roman, and the child of Julius Caesar, I had tied myself to Rome forever What happened in Roypt
Fate had blessedAntony east, instead of Octavian I could deal with Antony, and I ard to both Caesarion and Egypt He had spoken for Caesarion's paternity in the Senate, and I needed him to continue to back those claiypt would be a valuable ally but a troubling enee to be treated as a vassal state; ere no Comana He would have to approach with respect and ask, not command, if he wanted to free his hands to confront Parthia I wondered exactly how Dellius had described iven up I had won that round--the first one Now for the next
It took two months to ready the shi+p for its peculiar mission I selected a ”six” and had it completely refurbished inside and out, so that there was none other like it in existence The stern was gilded in gold leaf Belowdecks there was an enor couches, as well as old plate to furnish the table three times over, and the hold of the shi+p was turned into stables to carry thirty horses--and as shi+pwrights know, one horse takes as n lahts, and could be suspended in the shi+p's rigging and altered to shape circles, squares, or triangles When they were raised or lowered, it looked like the night sky, but brighter and ical
As for my own quarters, they were to be in the aft part of the shi+p, and contained a large bed, tables and chairs, and many mirrors, as well as lamps affixed to the walls
Yes, I had my plan, and the money invested in the shi+p would be orth it
But as for myself, I was uncertain about the best way to arrive at Tarsus Should I be dressed as a stern warrior, hel me? Should I be dressed as Caesar's , in drab and severe costume? Should I be a ree did I wish to convey? Should I be warlike Athena, or grieving Deal Hera, or
My eye happened to fall on the hts were turning idly throughin her splendor fro her island, the island of Cyprus VenusAphroditeWe would be passing her island, the island of Cyprus, on our way to Tarsuswhere she ht arise and coht arise and come on board
Antony Antony was DionysusSo who should pay a state visit to Dionysus but Aphrodite?
Yes, and Caesar had called me Venus, had put the statue of me as Venus in his family templeAntony, too, as a Julian, was descended of VenusIt was altogether fitting that it should be Venus, Aphrodite, who caed fro aspect to the , one that would coether
”Char my chair ”Charmian, call the costume master!”
The sails filled, hesitant at first, then proudly and boldly The waters clove and we shot ahead, six hundred miles toward the coast of Cilicia, toward Tarsus
On board the shi+p were all the provisions to hold court and entertain the Romans and the citizens of Tarsus I need be beholden to no one there, need not be anyone's guest It was I ould do the inviting, it was I ould hold court
The other rulers--ere they? Not one of them could meet Antony as an equal, nor could they present theuise other than their own selves The Ptoleht have dwindled and almost sputtered out, but I would o as a queen and as Aphrodite herself, and let theape
My costume was, I knew, unprecedented It was neither cere as a woman, but one who must not be touched
We had fair weather; this time the winds seemed to conspire with o We passed Cyprus on the lee side, skirting the beautiful island, called ”of eternal spring,” and as we passed I threw offerings to the Goddess for the waves to toss at her feet
Aphrodite, I prayed, be with your daughter now! be with your daughter now! And the flowers and candles rode the water and floated away to seek her And the flowers and candles rode the water and floated away to seek her
It had been more than half a year since Antony first suh, and he would have resigned hiry; he was a forgivingand easy to please
But I must do more than please him Those who are easy to please are the hardest to win Because everything pleases the they overhear so over the next wall, bread that is somewhat flat but still tasty, indifferent wine on a very hot day--nothing pleases the else And it is only in pleasing someone to that extent that one triue, dreamy world
I remembered Antony as I had known him in Rome, and then the picture of him at the Lupercalia flashed into my mind I had kept it vividly intact, stored in a secret recess of my memory, for--truth be told--it had excited h let us not slight that!-- but his sheer exuberance, his energy and power, that day, that made him close to a God in form and movement
Yes, I remembered Antonyand reo Noas forty-one, not thirty-seven: much could happen in four years, , that boyish vitalitycould he have lost that, entirely? And he had loved playacting--could that have been lost as well?
No, I doubted that That was his very essence; it would endure
So I was going to Antony By my very manner of arrival, I would salute and honor those aspects of hiether ould ed on the horizon This was the flat, fertile part of Cilicia, where the mountains retreated and left a seaside plain Once the Ptoleh” Cilicia, to the west, was a wild area of harbors and tall tiholds, now held by Rome
The city of Tarsus was located twelve miles inland from the coast, on the Cyndus River It could be very cold; Alexander had swu snows fed it in spring
”Anchor!” I commanded the captain as we approached the coast We would wait here until the next day, ould proceed upriver There was much to be done in preparation And I knew the shi+p would be sighted, and Antony alerted in Tarsus I had given no warning of ently at anchor, and I dreaun to explore the lost world of my ancestors, and see forfor s of the east Had he, then, left his toga behind? I would see an Antony as unknown and unfamiliar And he would see me as Caesar had, also in my eastern aspect We would be new to one another
In the dae fitted the special sails--purple, and steeped in the essence of cyprus-tree oil Winds blowing through them would carry the smell of the forest But in this lily-choked ay, sheltered, there would not be much wind Roould be needed, and now the special silver-tipped oars were brought froular ones of pine The musicians, ould pipe the time of the strokes of the oars, took their places on deck and belowdecks with flutes, fifes, and harps For this short journey, the wind-burnt sailors were replaced by wo the lines and the rudder Others held s censers of perfume fro the shore
Charown of Venus The thin tissue of the goas gold, allory fro a canopy of cloth of gold, to look like a divine pavilion, and draping the couch with leopardskins Before we cast off, I tookboys, costu and lowering feathered fans It was as near as I could co I had seen of Venus into real life
Slowly, ponderously, the shi+p plied its way through the waterlilies andmy pose all the while I could see, on either side of the river, crowds gathering, people lining the banks, gaping Char flowers to the onlookers
The river widened out to a lake; I told the Cupids to summon the captain, and when he came to my pavilion, I said he must anchor in the middle of the lake, and not dock at the quays
”We will not go ashore,” I said ”We will not set one foot in Tarsus until first we have been honored here on board”
Fro on the docks Someone launched a small boat, and it rowed frantically out to us It was filled with Ro
”See what they want,” I said toand bent over to talk to them
The little boat was al to see as on deck One after another they stood up and craned their necks, rocking the boat dangerously
The steward returned and said, ”Lord Antony's staff officer asks what, and who, has approached”
I thought for a moment ”You may tell hiood of Asia” His face registered surprise ”And try not to laugh when you say it Say it in all solemn seriousness”
He obediently did so, and I saw the incredulous Ro for words to reply Finally my steward returned
”He says that his ht, at a welco banquet”