Phaëthon pleads with Helios, 

his father and god of the Sun, 

to let him play his part

for just one day:

to be given the reins

of his horses to ride

round the globe, and

though the idea seems

rash to his progenitor, 

the boy's persistence 

does end up victorious. 

 

But the bloom of youth, 

too sure of itself, 

fails to entertain 

the doom witnessed 

already by older eyes 

that have known

their share of sighs. 

 

And so Phaëthon tries, 

in his father's chariot

to chart a course, yet

chars the Earth instead, 

and she can't but protest

to Zeus, who rarely 

attempts to resolve

without the use of

a trusty thunderbolt. 

 

This tragic fate 

now awaits unfortunate 

Phaëthon, who never 

wanted wreckage, only

to prove worthy 

of such resplendent, 

daunting parentage.