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The Fire Trail

15th Apr 2022 in

The Muses and the Fire Trail

by Kent Duryée

Upon the fire trail,
Nine lean hounds together run.
Servants of the muses,
Breast by breast and stride by stride,
Shining teeth and snapping jaws.
White clouds of breath
Mingle in the air about their feet.
Like blood does inspiration spill
Upon the fire trail.

Held tightly by teeth that slash,
A rose invites the touch but eludes the grasp.
Through silent halls do storm winds echo,
Amid moaning whisps of breath.
Between columns white and cold,
Autumn leaves do swirl.
And like the hounds does inspiration come,
Bearing down upon the fire trail.

Within each rock and tree,
The voice of Earth resides and sings,
And speaks through brook and hill.
Each reed and stone with life instilled,
Upon the fire trail.

But that is what so eludes,
And slips like water from my grasp.
While the nine muses sing and swirl
In time with pulse and life,
I gape in awe at all the beauty bearing down,
that mutes my voice but rules my thoughts...
Upon the fire trail.

The Fire Trail - Sun shining over maple tree in cloudy blue sky
The Fire Trail

 

The Nine Muses
The Nine Muses, creator and date unknown


The Muses

 

Calliope: The muse of eloquence and epic poetry.
Clio: The muse of history.
Euterpe: The muse of music and lyric poetry.
Melpomene: The muse of tragedy.
Terpsichore: The muse of the dance.
Erato: The muse of erotica.
Polyhymnia: The muse of sacred poetry.
Urania: The muse of astronomy.
Thalia: The muse of comedy and “pastoral” poetry.

Gallery

Below are a few historic paintings of the muses. You can click on any of the pictures and it will open up to a large version, and an automatic slideshow of large images will begin. You can pause the slideshow by clicking/tapping on the "Stop Slideshow" label in the lower-left corner. To re-start the slideshow, simply click one of the arrows in the lower-right corner.

Story laid out on urn about Caliope, ca 570 BCE
Story laid out on urn about Caliope, ca 570 BCE

Story laid out on urn about Caliope, ca 570 BCE

Melpemone and Clio flank Virgil, ca 250 BCE
Melpemone and Clio flank Virgil, ca 250 BCE

Melpemone and Clio flank Virgil, ca 250 BCE

"Parnassus" by Andrea Mantegna, ca. 1497
"Parnassus" by Andrea Mantegna, ca. 1497

"Parnassus" by Andrea Mantegna, ca. 1497

"Terpsichore" the Muse of Dance by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739
"Terpsichore" the Muse of Dance by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739

"Terpsichore" the Muse of Dance by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739

"Thalia", Muse of Comedy by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739
"Thalia", Muse of Comedy by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739

"Thalia", Muse of Comedy by Jean-Marc Nattier 1739

"Clio", Muse of History by Charles Meynier 1800
"Clio", Muse of History by Charles Meynier 1800

"Clio", Muse of History by Charles Meynier 1800

"Erato", Muse of Poetry by Ch. Meynier, ca 1800
"Erato", Muse of Poetry by Ch. Meynier, ca 1800

"Erato", Muse of Poetry by Ch. Meynier, ca 1800

"The Muses, Melpemone, Erato, and Polyhymnia" by Eustache le Sueur 1805
"The Muses, Melpemone, Erato, and Polyhymnia" by Eustache le Sueur 1805

"The Muses, Melpemone, Erato, and Polyhymnia" by Eustache le Sueur 1805

"Dance of the Muses" by Joseph Paelink, 1832
"Dance of the Muses" by Joseph Paelink, 1832

"Dance of the Muses" by Joseph Paelink, 1832

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