p. 1

persephone and the pomegranate seeds in those early days the weather was always warm and sunny the flowers were always in bloom the crops were always ready for harvest the goddess demeter tended the countryside like a garden planting seeds watering the green grass encouraging the trees to put on first blossom then leaves then fruit and while demeter worked her little daughter persephone used to play in the green woods of sicily picking violets until her apron was full when mother and child walked home hand in hand at the end of another sunny day talking and singing and laughing together the evening primroses opened just to watch them pass by pluto was not so lucky although he was a god he did not live on the top of mount olympus in halls of cloud and sunlight or on the earth among trees and fields pluto ruled over the kingdom of the dead and lived under the earth in darkness and bitter cold not one ray of sunshine ever found its way down into those echoing caverns and tunnels.

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p. 2

but worse than either cold or dark was the loneliness pluto tried to find a wife but nobody wanted to give up the sunshine the flowers or the glittering sea to live in pluto s dismal kingdom beneath the ground sometimes pluto would climb to the brim of the underworld and peep out at the girls and women playing in the sun the bright light hurt his eyes but the sight of all those pretty women hurt even more one day he saw persephone picking violets in her sicilian wood that s the one murmured pluto how beautiful she is oh yes she s the wife for me but pluto did not go to demeter and ask to marry her daughter he knew she would say no instead he harnessed his black chariot and thundered out into the sunlight lashing his whip he drove his horses on at full tilt all sicily shook at his coming and his wheels felled trees to right and left as he raced through the woods holding the reins in his teeth pluto leaned out and snatched persephone by her long hair her apron spilled all its violets who are you what do you want with me oh let me go help me somebody mother help me she cried the trees bawled after pluto come back leave her alone their green leaves flushed red with shouting but pluto took no notice as he raced back to his underworld he struck out with his whip the earth split open a bottomless ravine gaped and his chariot sped downwards down into the dark down into the cold he carried persephone don t cry he told her 1 shall make you my queen be happy i ll give you all the riches of the earth -gold and silver and gems you have the love of a king what more do you want i want to go home i want my mother sobbed persephone when they reached the river styx which divides the earth from the kingdom of the dead she cried out river help me i am persephone save me please the river heard her and knotted itself around the god s legs almost tripping him but pluto kicked it aside like a dog in despair persephone slipped off her belt of flowers and threw it into the tumbling water take that to my mother and tell her she pleaded the river took her belt and hurried away then darkness closed in on all sides pluto had reached home with his captive wife meanwhile up on the earth demeter came looking for her daughter at the end of the day.

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p. 3

persephone darling time to go home but there was no answer demeter called out and asked everyone she met but it was hopeless persephone had simply disappeared all demeter s work was forgotten as she searched high and low for the child nothing mattered but to find persephone so the flowers wilted the crops stopped growing and as demeter wept the trees wept with her shedding their leaves in brown and yellow tears after searching the world over demeter returned to sicily and sat down in despair beside a river as she gazed at the water what should come spinning by on the current but a little cord of flowers persephone is in the underworld whispered the water 1 saw her pluto has stolen her away to be his queen then demeter ran all the way to mount olympus and rattled at the gates of heaven zeus lord zeus help me pluto has stolen away my daughter make him give her back zeus listened to poor demeter you say your daughter was taken by force pluto shouldn t have done that but there again ­ oh zeus she interrupted him if i don t get my daughter back how shall i go on decking the earth with flowers and fruit i only do it out of joy and without persephone there is no joy for me let the earth wither and die for all i care zeus shivered at the thought the little people on the earth would quickly stop paying tribute to the gods if their crops stopped growing and their trees died it s not up to me he said gruffly there are rules if persephone eats anything while she is in the underworld she cannot come back up to the earth that s the rule then what are you waiting for said demetet send your messenger this instant and though zeus sent hermes fastest flying of all the gods demeter sped ahead of him that day pulling on his sleeve begging him to hurry meanwhile below the earth pluto laid in front of persephone a delicious feast he knew {what she did not that if she ate one mouthful she must stay with him for ever i m too miserable to eat sobbed persephone let me go why don t you let me go it s so dark and gloomy here

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p. 4

pluto no longer thought his kingdom was dark or gloomy now that persephone sat on a throne beside his it seemed bright and cheerful hosts of ghosts came streaming through the darkness to gaze at his new bride pluto was very happy indeed but you must eat my dear .just try a little something he held up a dish of limes an almond cake a cup of broth tempting her to eat i d rather die than eat your food said persephone even though she was very very hungry just a little taste pluto held up a half pomegranate -all red and juicy smiling with seeds he forced open her fingers and sprinkled twelve seeds into her palm oh and she was so very hungry for days she had sat and pined hoping her mother might find her but her mother did not come and did not come persephone was too hungry to think she lifted the seeds to her lips stop hermes messenger of the gods came skimming through the air in his winged sandals noble pluto zeus the almighty commands you to let persephone go or am i too late he looked at the feast laid out in front of the two thrones yes yes you re too late crowed pluto no no what do you mean cried persephone six little pomegranate seeds fell from the palm of her hand have you eaten any of those demanded hermes persephone burst into tears she has she has cried pluto triumphantly she s mine for ever only a few pleaded persephone what difference does it make pluto you re a rascal said hermes you should have told her i m sorry persephone there s a rule you see you have accepted pluto s hospitality -eaten his food so now you must stay here for ever `and hate you for ever pluto cried persephone because you tricked me

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p. 5

when she said this even pluto turned a little pale he loved persephone and wanted her to love him in return 1 only stole you away because i was so lonely he said hanging his head hermes felt sorry for them both let zeus decide he declared when zeus heard what had happened he thought long and hard before making his judgement finally he declared because persephone ate six of the twelve pomegranate seeds let her live for six months of every year in the kingdom of the dead for the other six months let her live with her mother on the earth and let no one argue with the judgement of zeus and that is why in the summertime the flowers bloom the grass is green and the trees wear blossom then leaves then fruit demeter you see is rushing happily here and there tending the earth like a garden when she and her daughter walk hand in hand talking and singing and laughing the evening primroses open just to see them pass by but in the autumn persephone travels down to the underworld to keep her bargain with pluto first she learned to pity him then she learned to love him and now the underworld is much brighter and warmer during the six winter months but up on the earth demeter is missing her daughter the trees flush red with calling persephone s name then drop their leaves the flowers wither the crops stop growing and the earth and the people of the earth wait for persephone to return with the spring.

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