The Judgement of Paris

"The rules of the contest are for you to decide,' Hermes answered with a discreet smile.
"In that case, will they kindly disrobe?'…
"Once you reach Sparta,' [said Aphrodite,] "I will see that Helen falls head over heels in love with you.'
"Will you swear to that?' Paris asked excitedly.
Aphrodite uttered a solemn oath, and Paris, without a second thought, awarded her the golden apple.
— Robert Graves
Goddesses, once, of earth, sea, sky.
In his eyes, they are all old relics.
To be beheld is to be beholden;
each offers a bribe—
not out of vanity, but pride.
He favours the favours of
a married woman, thus cuckolding
a king, beginning a war
he'll refuse to fight in:
this hero of the boudoir —
thanks to divine intervention.
He of the empowered gaze,
the one who chooses.