THE ULTIMATE BATTLE OF POETS: ROUND 4 (FINAL ROUND!)

Round 4 - THE NINE MUSES OF GREEK MYTHOLOGY.
*Choose one muse from the link provided: http://www.greekmyths-greekmythology.com/nine-muses-in-greek-mythology/
*You may only use one muse in your poem.
*No duplicates. No two poets may use the same muse. This will run like most of the other rounds, you cannot claim a muse until you have submitted the poem.
*You MUST have exactly 20 lines in your poem. You may not exceed this limit or use fewer lines.

BONUS POINTS:
*Write from the muse's perspective. (2 points)

PENALTIES: (maximum of one point deduction per penalty)
*Using a word associated with Greek mythology such as - greek, greece or a word stemming from it like myth, muse, or mythological
*Last poem submitted

Poems are due to me no later than this TUESDAY, DECEMBER 7TH - 5pm central time (US).

Good luck finalists!

Submitted:
Melpomene
Erato
Calliope
Thalia

Well, I find it odd that I wrote a comment to this thread but then checking it again I see, I haven't. Confounding!

Anyway I shall simply repeat myself over again. I am very impressed with this round and I think this is quite creative. I can't wait to see the poems and also read them and congratulate them on making it this far and the winner all together. :] The Muses of Greek mythology. Very creative! :]

Melpomene has been taken and submitted!

One down and two more to go I believe! :]

Yes, four as far as I understand. the three original finalists plus the winner of the wild card.

LOL it better not be Mel that has been ''taken''! now reading it, taken and submitted sounds like a kidnap!

but I believe it is the muse of tragedy that has been taken and a poem was submitted about indeed. Mel is into Greek mythology that she uses the name Melpomene, it works out for her wonderfully because her real name can be shortened into Mel, actually Mel is her real nick name. I can't see her as tragic at all though. she's a piece of sunshine!

I'm assuming Melponeme being taken was the muse, and not our member Mel submitting a poem? LOL.
^^^
Lmaoo I was like WHAT when I first read it too.

Erato has been taken.

Lol! Nor a perfect explanation about my pen name, couldn't of explained it better ;) I like the play of words. But no I haven't been kidnapped! Melpomene was also the muse of singing. I must say though, this is definitly going to be interesting, hope the contestants do the research, roman and Greek mythology differ & a lot has become confused. Good luck with this! Can't wait to read them.

I thought she was, in essence, the muse of singing, since it's the meaning of her name, but afterwards she became the muse of tragedy. so Tragedy was more her. more of her choice. I might be wrong though.

That's definitely one way to look at it Nor. Myths can be ever-changing, which means the idea of her is in the eye of the beholder.

It constantly differs with the thought of mythology, her name does mean celebration with song, or joyous singing, however from what I know she was once the muse of singing, dance and music but literature changed her to the muse of tragedy.

However on the other had it is said she is tragic despite her singing, therefore the idea of her in essence being the muse of singing is in fact correct also.

She was also called upon for inspiration with poetry and music (which I find strange for poetry as Calliope is the muse of epic poetry, Euterpe the muse of lyrical poetry and Erato the muse of erotic poetry) but her being called upon for these reasons also points to the idea that she was the muse of singing at one point of time.

But again, Polyhymnia is the muse of hymn and sacred poetry, which is very close to music again. So why would a muse of singing be needed if these aspects are already covered over a variety of different muse.

She is well know from Tragedy though and that is what she now goes by, choice or not and hence why I always liked her as a muse. I guess neither are right nor wrong?

Lol, sorry temps for messing up your thread.

I see, so there are four contestants. My bad! :P Anyway now there are two left! XD

I guess so. I always wonder how do people come up with such ideas. I mean look at ancient Egyptian Mythology for example as well, what were they thinking! and yes, Mythology is ever changing and has more than one version, I agree. Thanks for the explanation, Twin!

Yes, Jad, two more to go!

Calliope has been submitted.

Aha, now only one more to go! XD

Aww, I know all about Calliope :)

Tell me about Calliope, Jane! I love mythology.

Calliope is the eldest and wisest of the 9 muses.
Her domain is heroic poetry; the goddess of eloquence and epics.
She quite possibly got around since she bore a son, Orpheus, by the King of Thrace (or Apollo, depending on who you heard it from), and may have given birth to several of the sons of Ares, god of war. She is thought to be Homer's muse, so to speak, having inspired the Odyssey and Iliad.

Nice. I just like how her name sounds: Ca-lie-oh-pee. It's pretty.

I never can decide whether I have more affection for the virgin goddesses, in all their hunting and warring, or their more saucy counterparts. I guess I just like all of them.

Round four poems have all been submitted! Results will be posted in a few days.

Thalia's Muses

My sisters dance to heaven's music,
ears tuned to hymns, eyes fixed on stars.
My sisters write great tales of splendour,
hearts bloated with lust, heads humming with heroes.

But I see you.

I see you work, in love, in battle,
gazing at lines pressed by sea and sky.
I see you hysterical, inspired, indifferent,
and in your blackest hours, I know you lie there
crooked on the floor. I see your jagged, flailing soul

and I rise you again.

You wear my grinning mask once more,
more forceful than the bravest saints
and wiser than the gravest preachers.

You wear my mask and mock your monsters,
delight in delusion and befriend your strangers.
You slice pieces of truth, bitter and arid,
tipsy with romance, mellow with farce.

I laugh with you, then, in your tiny, tilted world,
hanging in darkness and turning to the sun.

-------

Calliope

I sing of heroes.
Of Achilles and Perecles and the clasping of their shoulders.
Of fine-browed Hector, leaving streaks of blood around his palace walls.
I sing of men in throes of battle, souls chewed and swallowed
by the gaping jaws of death, their bodies left as fodder for the crows.

But I am a woman with wide eyes,
and I collect the moments that slip between
the lines sung by bards, accompanied by flutes and bowls of wine.
I see sharp, wounded Penelope sitting at her loom,
weaving a funeral shroud from a spool of her wasted years.

I see Helen sitting on her couch, eating red grapes one by one,
wishing she would choke, as hordes of men
break like waves against the palisade.

I see a dozen maids hanging out like laundry for the vengeance of one man,
as their ghosts flit about still scrubbing the wretched blood
of their lovers off the flagstones. It leaves stains like spilled wine.

Unsung, these moments catch at the bottom of my tongue
and I swallow them whole. In me, they will grow swollen and die,
and when I lie still forever, they'll seep into the ground, and sprout into
a tree branched with the bitterest of olives.

-------

Arrows From Erato

Love -
never shall grow
beneath another's shadow.
Darkened by monotonous gestures
and silent lips.

Adoration -
only to sprout beneath the flow
of paralyzing breathes.
And the tending of landscape
in each corner of the mind.

Each soul a lyre -
wanting, for the silken strum
of passion's fingers.
Yearning for butterfly flutters
within silent thoughts.

I Erato, whisper upon the winds -
From the blooming sweet scent
of the rose's petaled breeze,
I give you
- Love -

-------

An Apology for Tragedy

Dip your thorns into my vein
for it's only you;

-who has stood between
the Candelabra
of love
and the shadows of hate

yet felt none-

that would envy me my pain

''a scorpion's tail''
he's named my temper

and I argued
-tragically-

''an Achilles' heel?''

For I was born into song

my gift that of a siren's,
soulless,
My fate a slain

heart.

and they misjudge me,
those who call me ''Melpomene''

Incredible poems. I am really impressed with these and can't wait to see the judges comments and also the unveiling of who everyone is! :]

Interesting poems, I like them. I feel like I know who the poems are written by though. Sometimes poetry style is just evident. ;) Good work all, this challenge would have been difficult to do.

Nice idea Temps, I am guessing the inspiration is from that poem you wrote awhile ago that we discussed?

Good luck.

Good writing. Calliope is a masterpiece. That kind of imagery baffles me. How can you be so great at writing? Argh! It's not fair.

The final results are in!

Receiving all 10's from all three judges and all bonus points means that SIBYLLENE, you are the winner with "Calliope"! Wonderful job, congratulations! You have won the crown of "The Ultimate Poet" Thank you everyone for participating! I will leave the remaining results below, followed by a reveal of all the participants and judges! Hope everyone has enjoyed this contest and will join in on the next site contest hosted by Valedico (Danny)!

32 points (10+10+10+2BP):
Calliope

"I cannot express what I love about this poem, instead I must say I loved every bit of it. It was as though I was looking at a collection of art in a museum. The third stanza incorporated the previous two so well, and tied them together in such a strong yet subtle way. The structure is something I found so interesting as the writer did not write in a normal "poem" structure, but it was not close to prose in my opinion. Not so much a story, but rather a statement, you believe everything to be so true, so vivid and eloquent. This poem truly brings such a strong emotion of sadness that rings so deeply. I definitely see the pull of "justice" within this poem, and a sort of rebirth, be it ridged. Definitely a poem with a deep strength and pull here, was certainly one of my favorites."

"A masterly worded poem that at once ensnared me to sweep me along a tide of myth and legend. A strong poem that I think has captured the essence of Calliope wonderfully well, from Troy to Penelope to the death of the maidens for the woes of another, beautiful imagery creating substance almost. At first I was unsure of the ending but the more I delved the more I think I understand the intent, as these sometimes bitter tales of myth endure, sprout and grow. Congratulations to the poet this is my top pick. In fact i'd like to thank all the poets for the journey they have taken me on in this contest."

"This, to me, was a less "personal" portrayal of Calliope. Whereas "Thalia's Muses" and "An Apology for Tragedy" added a deeper layer to the background of their muses, this poem is more like a panorama of historical events. Therefore, it didn't hit me as emotionally as the other poems. However, the aesthetic features cannot be denied. The writer has a great eye for detail, while aiming on a broad theme. All characters mentioned are related to the Trojan War. (Not sure about Pericles, though.) Instead of describing these characters, the writer painted snapshots for us all to FEEL the characters. Along with lively similes and versatile imagery, this poem is a true winner in my eyes. Especially its ending is full of poetical glamour."

-------

15 points (7+1+7+2BP-2PP):
Thalia's Muses

"The use of mask, which so directly relates to Thalia was definitely a strong point of the piece. The comedy used here was more of an ironic kind of comedy, and I think that created such a unique feel. Overall, the poem was such a creative piece that I feel I have never read anything remotely close to this, even as it discusses romance, masks, comedy - it's done so in such a way that you feel you're reading these words for the very first time with an entirely new meaning. Again this also makes me feel as though I am looking at a collection of paintings, or perhaps abstract art in the forms of crazy masks that are often overdone and dramatic, but still speak so much - that is what this poem has done, brought so much drama that it creates such a strong tone and feel. Such a beautiful piece, the writer has done a great job."

"I enjoyed the first stanza and the involvement of Thalia's sisters. However I found this piece a little dark from the Muse of joy of comedy. The line "you wear my grinning mask" a little sinister though not the intent. Befriend your strangers also didn't quite sit right with me. Yet there are some great lines "You slice pieces of truth, bitter and arid,
tipsy with romance, mellow with farce" I understand the writers intent with this piece and overall it is a good poem yet I feel the way this poem was conveyed and the interpretation was a little off, still an enjoyable read."

"I've read this poem several times, but wasn't sure about the "I" and "you". It seems like Thalia is speaking to a broken human being, but the reference to "my sisters" and then "I see you" is a bit confusing. Then there's the title that doesn't make much sense to me. I feel like the personas could easily be swapped. But that doesn't take away how bittersweet, almost paradoxical, this is written. There is a sense of tragic comedy which I admire. The use of adjectives could be regarded as being abundant, but to me it added an intensity that's truly able to tie a poem and its reader. There's a balance between harsh sounds and softer sounds, that make this shocking and saddening to read.
Although a beautiful piece of poetry, I feel that this poem didn't as much represent its muse as "Calliope" did. I think the atmosphere of this poem is more mellow than joyous."

-------

14 points (1+7+4+2BP):
An Apology for Tragedy

"I think the writer may have over done quite a bit within this poem - the punctuation was overkill and to me took away from the feeling of the poem. The pieces without the punctuation, or just a bit of them, was full of strength and imagery - so I wish the writer would have fine tuned it more without so many hyphens and quotations. It would definitely give more room for interpretation to the reader and make it potentially more easily to relate to. The line breaks seemed a bit odd, I couldn't understand the placement of them. The words and message overall were definitely strong - the story was told in a perfect manner, with little doubt and strong conviction. I do believe with some editing this piece would be amazing."

"To understand these poems I think we must try and understand a little of who these muses are, I profess to not knowing much about Greek mythology, now after some reading I know marginally more than a little. How well did these poets convey a sense of these mythical muses. There is a lot going on within this poem that I at first found hard to decipher, it is well worded has good meter and rhythm yet I keep going back to the ending and confess to being a little confused as to what at first I thought was the poems intent and message, then it jumped out at me, "the singing muse" Congratulations very well done, the tragedy of Melpomene herself. I loved it."

"The rhyming title says it all. Attractive and concise, that's something difficult to achieve, but the writer did it. I liked the concept of this poem, and as mentioned before, its second layer. Just like "Calliope", this poem has some traces of mythology. Difference here: it's used in a more symbolic way. There's also an obvious difference qua structure, and it worked just fine. More pauses, more tension, mystification-- a perfect atmosphere for Melpomene. Sad thing is that the poem drastically zooms in on one aspect of Melpomene, while being spread out over too many lines. Unlike its title, the poem just dragged on and made me feel as if the writer couldn't decide what to do with the required amount of lines."

-------

11 points (4+4+1+2BP):
Arrow from Erato

"I have to start out saying it was hard to score this low - it was a beautiful poem and I truly liked every piece of it. To me this is the meaning of a love poem, and what a perfect muse for it. The whole piece dripped in beauty and romanticism to me, and had such unique phrases, such as "silken strum of passion's fingers". To incorporate roses also made it wrap itself into a perfectly fine tuned love poem, and I do not think this was any bit cliche. The writer brought such a sensual feeling as well and did so with such strength and class it cannot be ignored. The only thing that separates this from the top two was the picture - it did not strike a strong image with me. Had it done so, it would have been placed much higher."

"A lovely piece, there was so very little between my second and third pick, and as with the last round almost scored them 2nd equal. I really liked the title and found it an apt description about Erato, the muse of lyric, Love and erotic poetry. This poem flows beautifully from beginning, culminating in a wonderfully strong finish. I also like the way you have interwoven the Lyre within this piece. The double use of beneath my only distraction. The more I read it the more im captivated by it."

"This poem is more structured compared to the other ones. With some fine repetition and contrast, this could turn out to be very effective. Unfortunately, none of this were found (except the first and last word of the poem). Instead, the structure along with punctuation and diction radiated an omnipotent feeling. I know that the muses are "heavenly" beings, but for a muse of love, I found the tone to be unsuitable. It even evoked some sort of negativity, although Erato wants to give us Love. I also felt that Erato's voice wasn't much present at all, I couldn't imagine her until reading "I Erato". There's also imagery that could impress many, simply due to their appearance, but they actually don't make much sense. I could try to associate them with symbolism ... but even if there were some hidden meaning, then it has obviously excluded reader."

THE PARTICIPANTS WERE....

ROUND ONE

Taken
Beautiful Chaos

Waiting
AJ

My Writings
Jad

Pure Truth
Michael D Nalley TC

Twin
Sibyllene

Change
Lady Nik

Litter
Valedico

Picturesque Windows
Krista

Fate; In The Form Of A Man
Brilliant aka Sunshine

A New Kind
Silvershoes TC

Adolescence
dollwithafrown

Imperative Death
Luanne

Deaf. (The Florette)
chindychong

Escape
Karla

Gypsy Soup
abracadabra

--------

ROUND 2

Wolf
dollwithafrown

Sounds of Solitude
Brilliant aka Sunshine

Waterfall
Jad

The Conundrum of Ambiguity
Silvershoes TC

A Salute to Sex
abracadabra

Starved Love - Journey of the Mind
Luanne

In Memory
Krista

The world passes by those who fail to begin only for fear of an ending
Sibyllene

The quiet sky was crying
Karla

-------

ROUND 3

Midnight Mourning
Luanne

Warp and Weft
Sibyllene

It Blazes Everywhere
abracadabra

On I Must Go
Silvershoes TC

-------

WILD CARD ROUND

Poem #1
The Princess

Poem #2
Silvershoes TC

Poem #3
Luanne

-------

ROUND 4

An Apology for Tragedy
The Princess

Arrow From Erato
Luanne

Calliope
Sibyllene

Thalia's Muses
abracadabra

Last but not least, I will reveal the judges of this contest. First, I would like to thank the three of you for being so prompt with your results and getting them to me as soon as possible. This contest could not of been made possible without you, thank you! You did a wonderful job with your comments as well!

THE JUDGES WERE....

BRITT

MERA LUNA

NICKO

Awesome! Congrats everyone! Thanks for hosting this, Temps! Judges, you're the bomb! You rock my world, Sibs.

Congrats Sibyllene ... very deserving win !!!!

Congrats to all who entered ... fantastic writing from everyone.

Thanks to Temps for this awesome challenge and the judges toooooooo

Whooooooooooot can't wait for the next to start.

Hahaha! "All characters mentioned are related to the Trojan War. (Not sure about Pericles, though.)"

Whoever this was, you were so right about this. I mistook Pericles (the Athenian leader) for Patroclus (Achilles' possible lover/protege in Troy). Realized too late. Very embarrassing. Also funny. I'm no Classics scholar, obviously, but I do love me some Homer.

NICKO AND BRITT! You cheeky monkeys! I seriously had no idea, I thought you were both writing poems!

Thanks, judges and Temps. That was a rigorous contest - very well organized, very inspired. I loved the themes, especially for the last round. Good luck to Danny on his reign as Master of Ceremonies!

Ok ok who gave me the 1 ...
Who do I have to put over my knee, where's my strap .... lmaoooooooo

In a seriousness you guys did a fantastic job.
And what I love most about these challenges ... I came out learning a little something new.
Mmmmm Can't say I'm not still lost on the whole muses thing but ... I did learn a little something in each round.

Ditto to what both Mera Luna and Britt said It is tough being a judge, understanding the writers intent the structure etc etc and yes having to give low scores to good poems that may in other circumstances score well. But it was a very enjoyable challenge that I have leant a lot from.

Thanks muchly Temps for hosting a great challenge

This was a sleek contest with a sexy host. Well done, Temps! Congrats to all! Judges- you were outstanding.

Danny, is your butt in the appropriate gear?

This was an incredible tournament. I am very impressed with the judges and Temps. You all did a wonderful job and lets not forget to thank those who participated because without you this would not have worked out. Congratulations Sib, a veryy deserving win for you! :]

I had a lot of fun taking part in this contest (even if I didn't get very far, haha). Congratulations to the winner and all the other contestants; and well done to the judges. You guys were honest and fair.. what a tough job you all had!

:)

I have to say well done to Temps for hosting a great challenge, very creative and intense rounds. You kept a lot of people on their feet.

Nice work to the judges, It's interesting to see the difference of opinions, and of course the similarities. Sometimes I would read the poem and be like that is a definite poem to be through to the next round and then it wasn't! It just shows how things differ and also how tough the gig would be!

Congrats to Sib for winning & congrats to Lu, Abby and Nor for getting so far! Awesome work from all of you.

& well done to everyone else who gave it a go!

Oh my, I'm feeling like the ''I'm late, I'm late!''rabbit in Alice in wonderland. sorry.

First I'd like to thank Temps, this was the most interesting, very well organized and great pick of themes and judges. (I would suggest having them in the panel of judges judging the front page weekly contest.)

Second thanks to the judges, you were all point on, at least concerning my work (which is what I can speak of). I thank the one who suggested taking off the quotation marks and lessening the over use of punctuation. it would indeed look, sound and read better and yes, I was a bit not sure/restricted by the number of lines.

last but not least, congratulations to Sib and Abby! I knew the moment I read both works you'd score first and second place, I was just not sure who would be first and who second. magnificent pieces! very well deserved!