ORPHEUS

Sing to us mortals, o Son of Calliope,

thou, whose throat the gods

touched with silver 'neath Elysium's

brightest rays. Marry thy fair

mother's verse afresh with sacred

strains of mighty Apollo's 

golden lyre, for Earth's children thirst

to revel in Parnassus' delights, in her

celestial airs and verdant splendour.

Our souls have need of thine ardency,

great minstrel, thou blight

of the sirens, beloved of the ill-starred

Eurydice. How the Nymphs

and deities wept thine anguished cant

to hear! Did not thy melodies 

soften the heart of Hades himself, thy

honeyed tones the Erinyes

cause to shed bitterest tears?  

Pour 'pon our parched spirits thy river

of mystical notes that once

stopped the wind and waters, charmed

birds and beasts, subdued

Cerberus! Did not raindrops cling fast to

leaves, sole for thy refrains 

athirst, for beauty the clouds extolled to

the moon, to distant stars? 

Bestow 'pon us such artistry as once the

elements gathered to savour,

for earthly words and tunes have ceased

to move man's spirit. He speaks

not Nature's tongue, nor lives by his own

inmost light. Sing to us, Orpheus,

with the voices of the sea, wind, earth and

fire, that we may stir to life anew,

that we may live

in blissful accord with all Creation.

© 2015 Lily's Verse

Lilium Candidum

Image: NYMPHS LISTENING TO THE SONGS OF ORPHEUS

Source: commons.wikimedia.org

Artist: Charles François Jalabert