Love muse of poetry12/9/2023 Return forgetful Muse, and straight redeem, Spend'st thou thy fury on some worthless song,ĭarkening thy power to lend base subjects light? To speak of that which gives thee all thy might? Trials? Can there be such anger in the minds of the gods?”Ĭenturies later, William Shakespeare would excuse himself for a hiatus in his production with these words: “Where art thou Muse that thou forget'st so long, Noted for virtue, to endure such dangers, to face so many How was she grieved, the Queen of Heaven, to drive a man, “Muse, tell me the cause: how was she offended in her divinity, The Latin poet Virgil in his Aeneid, the tale of how Rome was founded by Aphrodite’s son Aeneas, sings: This tradition persisted through millennia down to us. “Goddess, sing me the anger, of Achilles, Peleus’ son, that fatal anger that brought countless sorrows on the Greeks, and sent many valiant souls of warriors down to Hades (…).” Some directly asked the Muses to sing through them, acting as mere means for the Goddesses. It was customary for Classic authors to invoke them when writing, right at the beginning of the poem, pleading for a successful masterpiece. Luckily, we have some testimonials left of their influence. Such was the importance of Art and its Goddesses in Ancient times. The Muses were held in such consideration that, at the beginning of Greek mythology, they could be called with the epithet of “Olympians”, an honor only given to Zeus. They were: Calliope, Muse of Epic Poetry Clio, Muse of History Euterpe Muse of Flutes and Lyric Poetry, Thalia, Muse of Comedy and Pastoral Poetry Melpomene, Muse of Tragedy Erato, Muse of Love Poetry Polyhymnia, Muse of Sacred Poetry Urania, Muse of Astronomy, and, finally Terpsichore, Muse of Dance. Each of the nine were dedicated to a certain craft, and they blessed people with the forgetfulness of pain and human miseries. They lived with Apollo on Mount Parnassus or on Mount Helicon. The Muses were nine sisters, daughters of the King of Gods, Zeus, and the Titan of Memory, Mnemosyne. Artists were said to be protected by the powerful Apollo, God of Sun, Archery, Music, and Dance, but they were also warded and inspired also by a whole category of feminine divinities, the Muses. But there was one category in particular that was said to have truly won the divine favor: that of artists and poets.Īrt was seen as the supreme expression of human nature, the closest way to connect to the divine, a craft that was to be expressed for and thanks to the Gods. Workers were to worship their God as a token of gratitude, or the divine wrath would have been inescapable. For example, Hephaestus was the God of Volcanoes, of Carpenters and of Blacksmiths, Poseidon was the God of the Sea and of Sailors, Hermes was the God of Merchants and so on. Most gods protected a craft or profession, and possessing a predisposition toward a certain activity was considered to be a divine gift. On the contrary, read any myth and you can find them meddling with people, wooing or cursing them, bestowing fortunes or disgraces. We know that, in Ancient Greece, divinities were not above human affairs. But ever wondered where this commonplace took form? Who were the muses, really? We will have to dig, as always, in Ancient Greek culture. We could go on and on, an infinite acknowledgment of how love is the one thing that really inspires, indeed like a muse, the best in human beings. Gianni Versace had his sister Donatella Salvador Dalì had his wife, and ten-year senior, Gala Diakonova Gustav Klimt painted in gold Adele Bloch-Bauer and the Medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri dedicated his whole Divine Comedy to Beatrice, a Florentine noblewoman he was enamored of. A source of inspiration, then, that gives artists the will to make art. Ever wondered what a muse is, or why some artists claim to have one? Well, according to the Cambridge Dictionary a muse is a “person, or an imaginary being or force who gives someone ideas and helps them to write, paint, or make music”. Sings John Legend in the ultra-romantic tune “All of Me”, famously dedicated to his wife Chrissy Teigen. My worst distraction, my rhythm and blues”
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