by phillipw | Jul 16, 2020 | DI, IN, PH, PL, PO, SO, TI
Spells and the Thoughts of Tiresias “Halliwell’s basic argument is that Socrates admits the Book X arguments to be insecure and open to defeat. He calls them ‘spells’ rather than philosophical knowledge, and he asserts that he must use them [those arguments]...
by phillipw | Jul 12, 2020 | DI, MI, PL, PO
Mixed Race Divinity and Humanity Socrates “builds up a picture of the poet as ‘a light, winged, holy creature’, who cannot compose until he is out of his mind and possessed . . . . The god takes away the poet’s senses, and uses him . . . so that the poems he utters...
by phillipw | Jul 6, 2020 | DE, DI, OR
Desperate Measure Eurydice, she knew the gods too well. She knew that they would find a way to harm Herself, her lover, and her love. Lost hell Was where that Pluto lived forever. Charm Him? That was possible. The poet had Done just that. She had witnessed...
by phillipw | Jul 6, 2020 | DE, DI, EU, HA, LO, OR
Did We Really Think that They Would Give Her Body to Him? Modern poetry modern verse contemporary poetry contemporary verse Eurydice was dead. Come on. Just soul Is all she was by then. So why would he Expect some wonder from the deepest hole Of anywhere, that...
by phillipw | Jul 5, 2020 | DI, GO
Before We Brought Them Down Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image ~ Exodus 20:4 When gods become mere figures, they are not Gods anymore. They slip to being oil On canvas, words on pages, poems caught In scrolls and codexes. Gods used to roil Around in...
by phillipw | Jul 1, 2020 | AN, DE, DI, FU, PO
Centuries before Sappho Praised Men and Women Pre-echoes of that verse, ancient Greek In poetry, go back so far that lost Verbs, Indo-European ones, can almost squeak Through Sappho. It is like they are embossed Behind the papyrus and her inked lines Were...
