COMPANY
Contemporary Poems on Greek Mythology
Edited by
UNIVERSITY PRESS OF NEW ENGLAND
Hanover & London
CONTENTS
Preface, xv
ORPHEUS & EURYDICE
Syringa John Ashbery, 3
Eurydice in Darkness Peter Davison, 6
Orpheus and Eurydice in Spain Alice Friman, 7
Orpheus in Greenwich Village Jack Gilbert, 10
Finding Eurydice Jack Gilbert, 11
Eurydice Comes Back After Twenty Years Helen Trubek Glenn, 12
Orpheus and Eurydice Jorie Graham, 13
Euridice Saved Linda Gregg, 16
Eurydice Pamela White Hadas, 17
Orpheus Mark Irwin, 19
Eurydice Talking Mark Irwin, 20
Father Orpheus Mark Johnston, 21
Orpheus Opens His Morning Mail Donald Justice, 22
Eurydice Steve Kowit, 23
In the Dark House Stanley Kunitz, 25
Orpheus and Eurydice Timothy Liu, 28
Orpheus Gary Miranda, 29
Eurydice Summer John Pijewski, 30
Orpheus Reconsidered William Pitt Root, 31
Orpheus (1942-1980) Kenneth Rosen, 33
In Hades, Orpheus Muriel Rukeyser, 36
Eurydice Reg Saner, 37
Eurydice Sherod Santos, 38
Orpheus in the Underworld Sherod Santos, 39
Iris David St. John, 42
Eurydice Pamela Stewart, 44
CONTENTS
Vll
Orpheus Transposed Among the Willows Pamela Stewart, 45
Orpheus Alone Mark Strand, 48
xxviii Mark Strand, 50
THE ILIAD
April Nadya Aisenberg, 53
The Spirit of Ruin Nadya Aisenberg, 54
The War Doug Anderson, 55
Spoken by the Sentry at Achilles's Tent Doug Anderson, 56
First Blood Doug Anderson, 57
Greek Love 1. Clytemnestra Diann Blakely, 58
Hector's Return Carl Dennis, 60
On the Way to School Carl Dennis, 62
The Triumph of Achilles Louise Gluck, 64
Sacrifice Daniel Johnson, 65
Achilles' Song Barton Kunstler, 66
Paris/Alexandras Barton Kunstler, 67
Achilles William Matthews, 69
The Angle of Shadow, The Angle of Light Rebecca McClanahan, 70
Helen Peter Meinke, 72
Agamemnon Sacrifices Iphigenia Carol Tufts, 74
Paris and Helen Carol Tufts, 76
The Twelfth Day Rosanna Warren, 77
THE ODYSSEY
from "Circe/Mud Poems" Margaret Atwood, 83
Study Guide for the Odyssey Marvin Bell, 85
Polyphemus Diann Blakely, 87
Circe Diann Blakely, 89
Penelope in Spring A. V. Christie, 90
Circe in Love Nicholas Christopher, 91
Circe Revisited Nicholas Christopher, 92
Homecoming Martha Collins, 93
A Second Look at Penelope Terry Ehret, 96
viii
CONTENTS
The Plundering of Circe Jack Gilbert, 97
Parable of the Hostages Louise Gltick, 98
Circe's Power Louise Gluck, 100
Telemachus' Guilt Louise Gluck, 102
Mythology Marilyn Hacker, 104
Philoctetes Rachel Hadas, 105
After Odysseus Judith Page Heitzman, 106
The Story Should Spin Emily Hiestand, 107
In the Land of Lotus Eaters Tony Hoagland, 108
Telemachus Richard Howard, 110
Polyphemus Perverse Victor Howes, 113
Surgery YusefKomunyakaa, 114
Why Penelope Was Happy Cynthia Macdonald, 115
Odysseus and the Sirens Mekeel McBride, 117
Certainly Odysseus Wept John McKernan, 118
Waiting for Odysseus Gabriella Mirollo, 119
Penelope Writes Katha Pollitt, 120
Ithaca Refigured William Pitt Root, 122
The Odyssey Kenneth Rosen, 124
Calypso, Penelope Alan Shapiro, 125
Odysseus Becalmed Reginald Shepherd, 128
Argus Eyes Phyllis Stowell, 129
Archaic Penelope Ioanna-Veronika Warwick, 131
Penelope and Odysseus as One Person Ioanna-Veronika Warwick, 133
from The Voyage ofPenelope Carolyn White, 135
Her Story Ellen Roberts Young, 138
DEMETER/PERSEPHONE
Persephone Leaving Mary Jo Bang, 141
from "Post-War Persephone" Lisa Bernstein (Lisa B)
The God's Bride, 143
Spiraling, 144
-•
'
This Life, 145
CONTENTS
IX
The Pomegranate Eavan Boland, 146
The Narcissus Flower Rita Dove, 148
Mother Love Rita Dove, 149
Lost Brilliance Rita Dove, 150
Kore Faye George, 152
The Daughter's Visit Helen Trubek Glenn, 153
Chez Persephone Janet Holmes, 154
She Hides Her Golden Hair Jeremy Hooker, 156
Persephone Alice Jones, 158
Queen of the Dead and Her Mother Margaret Lloyd, 160
Persephone Tells Dashka Slater, 161
Ceres Laurel Trivelpiece, 163
Persephone Joyce Wilson, 164
Hades Cecilia Woloch, 165
OEDIPUS
In Retrospect: Oedipus to the Sphinx Imogene Bolls, 169
Laius Alive Kevin Fitzpatrick, 170
Colonus Linda Gregg, 171
Teiresias Richard Jackson, 172
Antigone Today Richard Jackson, 174
Sphinx Melanie Richards, 176
Private Life of the Sphinx Muriel Rukeyser, 177
Ismene at Colonus Claudia Van Gerven, 180
DAPHNE
Daphne Heard with Horror the Addresses of the God Eavan Boland, 185
"Daphne with Her Thighs in Bark" Eavan Boland, 187
Daphne Faye George, 189
Laurel Sandy Solomon, 190
Daphne Sandy Solomon, 191
Daphne A. E. Stallings, 192
Debarked Phyllis Stowell, 193
CONTENTS
DAEDALUS/ICARUS/MINOS
The Cunning One Stephen Dobyns, 197
Artist Stephen Dobyns, 198
Discord Stephen Dobyns, 199
Icarus's Flight Stephen Dobyns, 200
Blemished and Unblemished Stephen Dobyns, 201
Last Wisdom Stephen Dobyns, 203
Theseus Within the Labyrinth Stephen Dobyns, 205
Minotaur Template Dale Kushner, 208
Icarus Gary Miranda, 210
Pasiphae and the Bull Delisa Mulkey, 211
The Minotaur Muriel Rukeyser, 213
The Fall of Icarus Dashka Slater, 214
Ariadne Thanks Theseus for Abandoning Her Ioanna-Veronika
Warwick, 216
Maze and Monster Ellen Roberts Young, 218
NARCISSUS
Narcissus for the Defense Victor Howes, 225
Narcissus at Home Donald Justice, 226
The Nymph to Narcissus Heather McHugh, 229
Narcissus Gary Miranda, 230
Loss of Soul Deborah Pease, 231
Narcissus at the Adonis Theater Reginald Shepherd, 232
GODDESSES
The Book of the Dead Man (# 11) Marvin Bell, 235
Aegis Pam Bernard, 23J
Greek Love #2. A Statue of Aphrodite Diann Blakely, 238
Artemis Olga Broumas, 239
Maenad Olga Broumas, 241
Letter to Artemis Teresa Cader, 242
Athena Amy Clampitt, 244
CONTENTS
XI
Game Diana Der Hovanessian, 245
Clotho Alice Friman, 246
Birth of Athena Blues Barbara Helfgott Hyett, 247
The Seven Wives of Zeus Rebecca McClanahan, 249
Medusa Cuts Her Hair Jean Monahan, 256
Medusa Saved Melanie Richards, 258
Maybe Medusa Joyce Thomas, 259
Venus Observed Rachel Wetzsteon, 260
CODS
The Fire Fetched Down George Bradley, 263
Dating Hephaestus Darcy Cummings, 265
Hephaestus Alone Linda Gregg, 266
Pegasus Terry Hermsen, 267
This Other God Emily Hiestand, 269
Robert Mapplethorpe's Photograph of Apollo (1988) Mark Irwin, 271
Hermes Dale Kushner, 272
Dancing with Pan Alison Luterman, 273
For Chiron Carl Phillips, 275
Charon's Cosmology Charles Simic, 276
Apollo Takes Charge of His Muses A. E. Stallings, 277
First Song Ellen Bryant Voigt, 278
HEROINES
Phaedra in Hades Ruth Anderson Barnett, 283
Medea Sarah Chace, 285
Ariadne auf Naxos Nicholas Christopher, 286
Leda Robert Chute, 287
Afterwards Apollo Kate Daniels, 288
But Artemis Kate Daniels, 289
Lying Down Kate Daniels, 291
Alcestis Kate Daniels, 293
Awaiting Dionysus Deborah DeNicola, 295
Xii
CONTENTS
Cassandra Pamela White Hadas, 297
Cassandra Katharyn Howd Machan, 298
Cassandra Jean Monahan, 299
Leda, After the Swan Carl Phillips, 301
Galatea Katherine Solomon, 303
Psyche Sandy Solomon, 304..
Psyche Pamela Stewart, 306
Galatea Waking Jeri Theriault, 308
Arachne Joyce Thomas, 309
HEROES
The Argonaut Kathleen Lignell Ellis, 313
Midas Victor Howes, 314
The Origin of the Constellation Sagittarius, the Centaur Richard
Jackson, 315
Sisyphus Gary Miranda, 317
Perseus Appears to the Three Gray Women Jean Monahan, 318
The Flaying of Marsyas Kenneth Rosen, 319
Song for Sisyphus Reg Saner, 321
Notes on Contributors, 323
CONTENTS
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