Classical Poetry PDF EPUB

The Earthly Paradise

A Poem (Part II)

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Pages: 229

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About this book

May flowers and the voices of young singers surround the elders who gather to exchange stories in this second part of William Morris's narrative poem. Arranged under May, June, July and August, the volume brings classical myths and medieval tales into a shared setting of seasonal feasts. Its opening turns to Cupid and Psyche, introducing a king's daughter whose beauty troubles Venus and whose father seeks an answer from Apollo's oracle.

Elsewhere, a sailor leaves his companions on a Greek island and explores a ruined castle, overgrown gardens and the remains of an ancient shrine. Such scenes place human curiosity beside traces of vanished lives. The rhymed verse gives room to landscape, conversation and the telling of old stories, while the seasonal passages set youthful celebration beside the elders' awareness of passing time.

About the author

William Morris

William Morris (1834-1896) was an English poet, designer, and socialist whose wallpapers and textiles helped define the Arts and Crafts movement. Late in life he turned to prose romances set in imagined lands, and those books are now regarded as foundations of modern fantasy literature.