"Echo and Narcissus" by John William Waterhouse‘Narcissus Saw Himself Only Once’ and Other Poetry by Phillip Whidden The Society November 22, 2017 Beauty, Culture, Poetry 1 Comment Narcissus Saw Himself Only Once “Due to the poor quality, high cost, and small size of these ancient glass mirrors, solid metal-mirrors primarily of steel were usually preferred until the late nineteenth century.” ~Wikipedia, “Mirror” I wonder if improvements in the way That mirrors show us beauty in our youth Has changed our basic make up. Has their sway Distorted us like far too much vermouth? If we are shown from adolescent years How beautiful we are, then how can we Now, in the age of photos’ new frontiers, Resist the iPhone loveliness we see? Until Rococco times no human saw Himself or herself as all others did. Oils made young Dorian stand in awe— And look what that accomplished. God forbid. __When I see young’uns posting selfie snaps, ____I want destruction of infernal apps. If Orpheus Had Not Looked Back If Orpheus had not looked round, his wife Would not have fallen back to death. He would Have had her all his unheroic life. The Argosy was past. He understood That. It was likely he would not have gone Out on another quest with Jason or His like. Eurydice would see him yawn With tedium. She would have heard him snore Instead of singing love and death with lyre And holy words. She would have made him stew And porridge by their Thracian hearthside fire. She would have seen their lust go up the flue. __His voice would have lost its edge, his song ____Its passion. Boredom would have come along. Phillip Whidden is a poet published in America, England, Scotland (and elsewhere) in book form, online, and in journals. He has also had an article on Wilfred Owen’s “Dulce et Decorum est” published in The New Edinburgh Review. www.phillipwhidden.com NOTE TO READERS: If you enjoyed this poem or other content, please consider making a donation to the Society of Classical Poets. The Society of Classical Poets does not endorse any views expressed in individual poems or commentary. Trending now: One Response Sultana Raza January 22, 2018 Hello, I found the first poem to be more interesting than the second one, specially the last two lines. As for ‘If Orpheus Had Not Looked Back,’ I’m afraid I don’t share your point of view at all. If someone could play music that could bring all animals together, and even pacify or tame the gods, then I don’t think this genius would have been content to sit bored at home. These kinds of geniuses almost always are forever trying to improve themselves, or to innovate. If nothing else, Orpheus would have continued to play to maintain harmony in nature. Isn’t it funny, how we can still get all hot and bothered about mythical figures? Please note that I appreciate your poems in general, and this is a comment on the modern take on the subject of Orpheus, and not on the form of your poem. The average Joe ends up like the person in your poem, but not necessarily a creative genius. After all, perhaps you know from personal experience, once a creator, always a creator… Reply Leave a Reply Cancel ReplyYour email address will not be published.CommentName* Email* Website Δ This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Sultana Raza January 22, 2018 Hello, I found the first poem to be more interesting than the second one, specially the last two lines. As for ‘If Orpheus Had Not Looked Back,’ I’m afraid I don’t share your point of view at all. If someone could play music that could bring all animals together, and even pacify or tame the gods, then I don’t think this genius would have been content to sit bored at home. These kinds of geniuses almost always are forever trying to improve themselves, or to innovate. If nothing else, Orpheus would have continued to play to maintain harmony in nature. Isn’t it funny, how we can still get all hot and bothered about mythical figures? Please note that I appreciate your poems in general, and this is a comment on the modern take on the subject of Orpheus, and not on the form of your poem. The average Joe ends up like the person in your poem, but not necessarily a creative genius. After all, perhaps you know from personal experience, once a creator, always a creator… Reply
