"The Madman"  is a fascinating and deeply ironic poem by Georgios Souris from 1888.  Souris  begins by describing the "Madman" (a British visitor) weeping at the sight of the Parthenon's missing marbles  (the artifacts removed by Lord Elgin   in the early 19th century and shipped to Britain , and now held in the British Museum  in London)   and then writing to Queen Victoria to return them to Greece. This action of the Madman  represents Western romanticization of Greek antiquity. Souris mocks this performative grief, highlighting its irrelevance to contemporary Greeks. The madman’s unsolicited letter - "Who told this fool to write about the marbles?"  -  to Queen Victoria underscores foreign interference.  But Souris' pen doesn't stop there. While critisizing the British, he also cauterizes the Greek apathy and indifference - " we do not care at all, no one has asked anything of him, no one want...