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Orpheus and Eurydice
Contributed by
Ambivalence
on
Tuesday, 27th May 2008 @ 02:50:12 AM in AEST
Topic:
mythology
|
The god Apollo loved the Muse Calliope,
who in return loved him passionately,
and she even wrote him some poetry.
Without abusive force, they had intercourse,
and Calliope bore a son named Orpheus,
talented with music and the chorus.
Orpheus loved a beautiful nymph named Eurydice,
persuaded her with tender and passionate symphonies.
Eurydice walked alone one day in the fields
and died from a poisonous snake bite to her heel.
No words could describe how Orpheus would feel.
He said to himself, “No, this can’t be real.”
He begged Jupiter to restore his wife
by simply bringing her back to this life.
Jupiter told Orpheus to go to Hades,
in order to retrieve his beautiful lady.
He went to the world of Eurydice’s fate,
the place in which many deities hate.
Hell’s capacity was enormously great.
Then seeing Cerberus, who guarded the gate,
started barking savagely to frighten him away.
His soft musical chords began to play,
and Cerberus’ anger turned to a calm stage,
and allowed Orpheus to enter the cave.
He played his magic, musical sounds
which made the screams of Hell quiet down.
He wandered til the foot of Pluto and his throne.
He then had his whole sad story made known.
While after the story being told,
Pluto consented to Orpheus’ wish,
but only under one condition,
to not look back once leaving the Infernal Region.
Orpheus thus accepted this,
feeling future hope and infinite bliss.
He began his way out of Hades,
but looked back to get one glimpse of his baby,
What he did was stupid, oh so crazy.
He saw her spirit fade in evanescence.
Should have known better to learn his lesson.
Out from the Underworld, he fell into depression.
He had tried and failed.
No hope in mind nor heart prevailed.
Through all his effort and all his strife,
All he wanted back was his lovely wife.
He found no other purpose in this life,
But except to play these mournful songs,
since Eurydice was forever gone.
At last there a changing day in his life dawned,
when Bacchantes begged him to stop the sadness,
to play jolly songs to bring about gladness,
but Orpheus didn’t comply with their demands.
The Bacchantes couldn’t bear to withstand
his musical notes that were constantly sad.
They were enraged, furious, undoubtedly mad.
They absolutely tore him from limb to limb,
from his bare feet to his bare hands.
His remains were thrown into the Hebrus River,
and his head afloat on the water murmured, “Eurydice.”
For even in death he could not forget his lady.
As his spirit drifted to join her,
nothing of his power was left on this earth,
but except his musical instrument,
placed in the sky as his constellation.
Copyright ©
Ambivalence
... [
2008-05-27 02:50:12]
(Date/Time posted on
site)
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Re: Orpheus and Eurydice
(User Rating: 1 )
by Jenni_K on
Tuesday, 27th May 2008 @ 06:12:20 AM AEST
(User
Info | Send
a Message)
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Oh..thank you for sharing this..I studied Greek/Roman Mythology some 35 odd years aback...and have always meant to get back into it. I have a vague recollection of this story and if my memory serves me right, then you have done a brilliant job of it.
Jenni |
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Re: Orpheus and Eurydice
(User Rating: 1 )
by Lee on
Wednesday, 27th August 2008 @ 12:54:19 AM AEST
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a Message)
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excellent poem. a genuine poetic retelling of an interesting myth.
great write!
-Lee |
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