The wife turned into an evil fury. She slandered him on every street corner. He was informed that she had sworn her infertility, blaming Hadrian. “How can one give birth from such a monster?” she asked, tragically wringing her hands like a cheap actor in a Rusticus theater. Of course, he, Hadrian, knew that the whole thing was her fault: he had married a rotten fruit, a dead land in which no matter how much seed he threw—nothing would grow.
He only succumbed to the persuasion of Trajan's wife Plotina, who wanted to strengthen his influence with the help of Sabina, because she was a distant relative of the emperor Trajan. And, in fairness, it was worth saying that thanks to her, Sabina, Hadrian became Augustus.
But it's in the past. Sympathy, affection, friendship. All in the past! The world was changed by this adorable young man Antinous, years with which were similar to a wonderful dream sent by the goddess of the night Nix, a dream that brings oblivion. Indeed, Hadrian then often felt himself an Odyssey, strewn with sweet-sounding sirens, a traveler who had forgotten his native Ithaca.
It is a pity that his voyage with Antinous on the sea of life turned out to be so short-lived and fleeting. His beloved perished in the waves of the Nile forever. After that the heart of Hadrian froze in sorrow, like a mourning statue above the marble tomb of a dear man. He ordered the memory of the young man to be honored. There were cities named in his honor, statues towering over the squares and streets of the empire. But cities and statues could not obscure the emptiness in his heart.
One such statue stood here in Tibur. Hadrian created the Temple of Antinous and put his sculpture inside. Sometimes he approached it, touching the hand made of cold stone. The inscription “Be immortal as Ra9” was carved on the foundation of the monument. He would cover his eyes, silent, recalling…
But Antinous appeared after the emperor's meeting with Marcus. First, there was Marcus.
The boy was six years old when, in between his far and long journeys, Hadrian saw him. A small, thin, big eyed boy, dressed in a white tunic.
Nearby stood his mother, Domitia Lucilla—a venerable Roman matron, who lost her husband early and did not remarry. She owned a large brick factory on the outskirts of Rome. His great-grandfather, Catilius Severus Regin, a well-known senator who held an important position as prefect of Rome, was also there.