Orpheus And Eurydice And Other Poems

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1882 edition. Excerpt: ... PREFACE TO THE O'NEILL'S GATHERING OF THE IRISH CLANS. LEST it may be inferred from the language put into the mouth of The O'Neill, in the following poem, that his real character was that of a haughty and bloodthirsty barbarian, it will be proper to allude briefly to the part he played at an eventful period of his country's history; and to mention the circumstances that might have induced him to give utterance to the ardent sentiments attributed to him. Listening with avidity, in the halls of his ancestors, to the history and traditions of his family, and to the songs of the bards that embalmed the deeds of heroes since the days cf" Nial of the Nine Hostages," O'Neill early imbibed a hearty hatred and jealousy of those invaders who despised the history, tongue, and customs of his race. The English Pale was pointed at, by the native Irish, as a blemish that ought not to be tolerated in the land of a free and ancient people. It was believed also, that the Palesmen eagerly awaited the moment when they might with impunity seize the whole country, and enslave the native possessors who had held it in freedom from time immemorial. Almost as early in life as he leamt his rude lesson of patriotism, O'Neill acquired, in a very different school, the smoother art of statecraft. In quite early youth, and frequently afterwards, we find him at the splendid Court of Queen Elizabeth, learning to wind and unravel the mazy threads of intrigue that entangled almost everyone within the circle of her Court. The acute Irish Chieftain became a clever adept in diplomacy, and successfully plotted to win the smile of that most discerning sovereign. The perfect knowledge he obtained of the characteristics of Saxon and Celt, from his intimate connection with both...

How can I celebrate love/ now that I know what it does? So begins this booklength lyric sequence which reinhabits and modernizes the story of Orpheus, the mythic master of the lyre (and father of lyric poetry) and Eurydice, his lover who died and whom Orpheus tried to rescue from Hades. Gregory Orr uses as his touchstone the assertion that myths attempt to narrate a whole human experience, while at the same time serving a purpose which resists explanation. Through poems of passionate and obsessive erotic love, Orr has dramatized the anguished intersection of infinite longings and finite lives and, in the process, explores the very sources of poetry. When Eurydice saw him huddled in a thick cloak, she should have known he was alive, the way he shivered beneath its useless folds. But what she saw was the usual: a stranger confused in a new world. And when she touched him on the shoulder, it was nothing personal, a kindness he misunderstood. To guide someone through the halls of hell is not the same as love. "A reader unfamiliar with Orr’s work may be surprised, at first, by the richness of both action and visual detail that his succinct, spare poems convey. Lyricism can erupt in the midst of desolation."—Boston Globe When Gregory Orr’s Burning the Empty Nest appear, Publisher’s Weekly praised it as an "auspicious debut for a gifted newcomer…he already demonstrates a superior control of his medium." Kirkus Review celebrated it as "an almost unbearably powerful first book of poetry" and enthusiastically reviewed his second book Gathering the Bones Together, noting that "Orr’s power is the eloquence of understatement." Most recently, his City of Salt was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award. Gregory Orr teaches at the University of Virginia.

The legend of Orpheus has exerted a powerful influence on the work of poets and artists through the ages--from the poetry of Virgil and Ovid and the Ovidian romances of the Middle Ages to the new mythologies of Blake and Rilke. Orpheus was believed to have aroused responses from inanimate nature as well as from living creatures, bringing about a peaceful order and even--in some cases-- restoring the dead to life. This challenging new study analyses the changing images of Orpheus in the poetry, sculpture and vase-painting of the ancient world. The author shows how later versions diverge from the early story of the divinely inspired poet-musician and reflect conflicting ideas about the nature of poetic creativity, its sources and powers. Orpheus with His Lute is essential reading for all those interested in literature and the psychology of aesthetic experience. It will also be of value to students of philosophy and the history of religion.

Today's poets provide a new spin on Greek myths.