The Pleasures of: Episode 12

Goodness, it's been a long time since we've visited my Pleasures, hasn't it, dear ones?

And yet there they are floating in that dark synaptic sea, little islands of happiness (and I think that sea is three dimensional and they are twinkling multi-colored stars) waiting to be swum to. So let's go, and there just right of the zenith is a pinkish glowing island which is in fact the story of

Orpheus and Eurydice

Why do I love this story so much? Do you remember it?

Eurydice steps on a snake and dies, and heartbroken Orpheus journeys into Hell to save her. With his sad music he charms Hades and Persephone and they agree that Eurydice may return with him to the world of the living: But she will walk behind him, and he cannot turn and look at her until they are back on the earth.

And of course, a ghost, she makes no sound as she walks. And of course, just as he is about to reach the cave-mouth gateway out of the land of the dead, he loses faith, and he turns, and there she is, and then she is gone.

Ahh the beautiful terrible of it! And how tortured do we feel in the considering. When I used to know how to write fiction I think I wanted to do my own version of it -- that having been one of my tricks or delights, retelling a traditional story in contemporary or science fictionly guise -- and I wonder how that would have looked.

As it is all we can settle for is the ending... The Maenads tear Orpheus apart and throw his head in the river, and there it floats away, still singing. Ha!