An Ode to the Unknown Muse

by

I guess it was the iambic pentameter comment earlier that set this off: ObWi does have a definite poetical flavor to it. Or maybe doggerel – not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course.

Hear me, o Muse. No, wait, a problem there
That weighs upon our blogs with leaden strain;
For in that wondrous realm of fancies fair
There lives no Muse to take us all in train.
We love the stately dance of history
Yet Clio’s waltz oft chafes upon our souls
And though ’tis good to breathe in poetry
The rhymer’s fire and sight are not our goals.
And yet I will entreat some kindly Muse
To show pity at our orphaned, bloggish state
And come down from Heaven, should she choose,
To give us links to inner fires great.
May our Muses arrive, and our souls freed
For majestic new bloggings. Heh. Indeed.

7 thoughts on “An Ode to the Unknown Muse”

  1. Interesting. Speaking as a Classicist (that’s what my degree was in), it’s actually conventional in epic poetry to invoke a specific Muse (usually Calliope, though not always by name).
    But what you’ve done is say ‘what Muse can WE invoke?’, which is a nice variation. Don’t think it’s ever been done before. So, well done.
    There are usually said to be nine Muses, as indeed I see you’ve linked to. I guess Clio (muse of heroic and historical poetry) might be a good bet.

  5. Thank you for not commenting on the scansion. 🙂
    Would have been churlish to say the least. Meant what I said about the innovation, by the way – very good and original idea.

  6. Bravo. Love the final couplet.
    But if you’re going to be appealing to the gods on behalf of political bloggers, I think there’s a more urgent need for the Graces than the Muses.

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