muse | Rachel James with Valerie Hsiung and Sarah Passino

muse,​​ 

muse?

  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ restless muse​​ 

  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ so green muse so​​ 

​​   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ restless nurse

​​   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ so clever deep​​ 

 ​​​​ so green and so greed so oh sos dash dash dot so

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ so less and turning

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ urn tost to and​​ fro so urn turning wary​​ 

 spirit

contending, oh  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

muse! of many wiles

wailing ​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ of spirit wide-ranging poly​​ 

​​ tropos prudently possessed  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ by gods​​ 

​​ by wisdom’s various arts ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ renown’d

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ for shrewdness ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ famed and genius ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ versatile​​ 

​​ crafty ​​ water and vessel and hands by long experience tried​​ 

lo​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​  ​​ that hero​​       

of many fortunes

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ok​​ 

 ​​​​ tost to and fro by fate  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ undulating fate  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ undulating

 ​​​​ fate​​  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ (chorus: do not stop!)  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ many-sided-man  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ which is this​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ deep bargain​​  (chorus: look down)​​ 

no​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ sagacious witness​​ 

low budgets  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ skilled in​​ 

 ​​​​ deals  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ convalescences ​​ (mattress watchers!)​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ ancient times already

ingenious sacrificial goat​​   

 shifty​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ restless nemesis  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ how can I​​ 

 now that you​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ revolved​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ around the sun

a loss  ​​​​ a hero  ​​​​ a loss  ​​​​ a hero  ​​​​ a loss  ​​​​ a hero  ​​​​ a lost hero​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ of many   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ huge futures​​   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ tell me​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ about a​​    ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ complicated ​​   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ red ground

  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​   ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ future​​ 

Author’s note: ​​ “muse” borrows language from the first sixty-two English translations of​​ The Odyssey. The first line contains the word “polytropos”—πολuτροπον—and there is little consensus on its meaning. I invited the poets Valerie Hsiung and Sarah Passino to write into a shared document containing every first line live for a set amount of time. This​​ poem​​ was made​​ from that exercise.