Venus and Satyr

‘Satyr and the Nymphs’  by William Bouguereau

‘The Woman in the Waves’  by Gustave Courbet

 Venus and Satyr by Rhea H. Boyden

The nearer she gets back to Earth, the brighter Venus shines. Having the strength to grasp Earth again after the madness of spending too much time on another planet that was cold, windy and desolate. Poor Satyr does not know the extent of this new birth. Does he know how he has been pulled into fantasy by Venus as she emerges from her shell? Venus loves the water. It makes her feel whole again. As Schopenhauer instructed us with good intention. Water suffices, humans need not drink anything else, he warned. As Venus’ shell grows less hard she learns to love the world again, but poor Satyr does not like water as much as Venus does. Venus has her helpers, the beautiful Nymphs who drag Satyr to the water against his will. But wait! Give Satyr time and maybe he will come to the water willingly. The way cannot be forced. Venus stands spellbound in an empty hall and then she sees herself in a Gustave Courbet painting. ‘Ah, there I am’ she says. ‘The Woman of the Waves’. She spies the madness in herself, her coy and unshaven manner. ‘Does Satyr love this?’ she wonders, ‘Or does it scare him away?’ Venus is shining brightly now and feeling revived. She emerges from the room and walks out into the bright, hot sunlight and there she sees the passionate kiss. The one she imagines. She looks up and sees the banners that signal that the vast water that separates their love has vanished in a hot, dry day.