• Home
  • Fine Living
    • Start Here—Welcome to Tweetspeak!
    • Read
      • A Poem a Day with Every Day Poems
      • book club
      • Poetry Newsletter!
      • poetry reviews
      • T. S. Poetry Press
      • Quote a Day
      • VerseWrights Journal
    • Write
      • A Book of Beginnings
      • Become a Better Writer
      • Fiction Posts & Prompts
      • Memoir Notebook
      • Poets and Writers Toolkit
      • Writer’s Conferences
      • Writing Prompts
    • Live
      • Art and Disabilities
      • Artist Date
      • Eating and Drinking Poems
      • Journey into Poetry
      • Literary Tour
      • Moms on Poetry
      • Poem on Your Pillow Day
      • Poetry at Work Day
      • Random Acts of Poetry Day
      • Take Your Poet to Work Day
    • Play
      • Coloring Page Poems
      • Mischief Café
      • Music Playlists
      • poetry humor
      • Quote a Day
      • Shop
      • Twitter Poetry Parties
      • Videos
    • Learn
      • A Poem in Every Heart, a Story in Every Soul
      • Infographics
      • Poetry Classroom
      • Poetry Units for Teachers
      • Writer’s Conferences
      • Writing Workshops
    • Grow
  • Poets & Poems
  • Writers’ Resources
  • Daily Poem
  • Teaching Tools
  • The Press
  • Workshops

Epic Poetry: Invocation of the Muse Prompt

By Heather Eure 15 Comments

invocation_of_the_muse
An invocation begins the epic poem and serves as a prologue to the events to come. A prayer or address is made to one of the nine muses of Greco-Roman mythology. The poet asks for the inspiration, skill, knowledge, or the right emotion to finish a poem worthy of his subject matter.

Homer began his epic poems with an Invocation to the Muse. As you see in this invocation from The Odyssey, he asks for inspiration and a blessing for the retelling of the epic:

Speak, Memory –
Of the cunning hero
The wanderer, blown off course time and again
After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights.
Speak
Of all the cities he saw, the minds he grasped,
The suffering deep in his heart at sea
As he struggled to survive and bring his men home
But could not save them, hard as he tried –
The fools – destroyed by their own recklessness
When they ate the oxen of Hyperion the Sun,
And that god snuffed out their day of return
Of these things,
Speak, Immortal One,
And tell the tale once more in our time.

—Stanley Lombardo Translation (2000)

But what is a muse?

In Greek mythology, the nine muses are goddesses of various arts such as music, dance, and poetry. Their own giftedness in the arts were unparalleled and helped both gods and mankind to forget their troubles. They also inspired musicians and writers to strive to reach greater creative and intellectual heights. Greek writer Hesiod claimed in his work Theogony, to have spoken with the muses who blessed him with divine voice. A once simple shepherd became one of the great ancient poets at the pleasure of the gods.

Simple enough, right?

How to Get Your Poems Published Free Download
 

Try It

For those of us who need a serious boost to get up and at ’em each morning, an invocation to the muse might just be the ticket. Pick your muse. Maybe it’s the classic Greek muse Calliope, or something a little more modern and standard like coffee. Write a brief poem based on Homer’s invocation above, but centered around the adventures of your day and the attributes of your muse.

Call in the muse!

Featured Poem

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here’s a poem from Glynn we enjoyed:

We started from a quiet place
a place of dusty streets and market stalls
noise on market days, noise of animals
and children playing

the world beckoned, its soul yearning

no armies did we lead
no armies did we need
no horses did we ride

an army of two, with sandals
an army of two, without swords

the wind went before us smoothing
our way to the towns and languages
to fields and sentinel farm houses

cities, and temples
cities, and rulers
cities, and governors
cities, and nobles and slaves and merchants
cities, and noise

we conquered with words and spirit
even our deaths conquered provinces
and kingdoms, hearts

from two on a road we found ourselves
leading hundreds and more, thousands
and more until the empire itself
fit within our hands, the greatest empire
before or since

we destroyed it, some say
we saved it, some say
we saved its soul, we say,
its souls, we say

—by Glynn Young

Photo by PS Lee. Creative Commons, via Flickr.

Browse more Epic Poetry
Browse more writing prompts
Browse poetry teaching resources

___________________________

How to Write a Poem 283 high How to Write a Poem uses images like the buzz, the switch, the wave—from the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”—to guide writers into new ways of writing poems. Excellent teaching tool. Anthology and prompts included.

“How to Write a Poem is a classroom must-have.”

—Callie Feyen, English Teacher, Maryland

Buy How to Write a Poem Now!

You Might Also Like

  • Epic Poetry: Playlist and PromptEpic Poetry: Playlist and Prompt
  • How to Write a College Application Essay: Starting to WriteHow to Write a College Application Essay: Starting to Write
  • How to Write an Epic Poem: InfographicHow to Write an Epic Poem: Infographic
  • How to Write a Poem: An InvitationHow to Write a Poem: An Invitation

Filed Under: Blog, English Teaching Resources, Epic Poetry, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, Themed Writing Projects, writer's group resources, writing prompts

P. S., With Love

We hope you found something
inspiring here today.

Why not keep it going—for you, and the world?
For as little as $1 a month.

Comments

  1. Suyash_J says

    September 14, 2015 at 12:03 pm

    http://reclusemuse.blogspot.com/2014/11/borrowed-scent.html

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      September 14, 2015 at 11:21 pm

      Thank you for sharing your poem with us! The rumination: “…I would grow my roses,/ In that wonderful rain of that golden year.” was striking.

      Reply
      • Sandra Heska King says

        September 17, 2015 at 7:21 am

        Slipping in here with a slice of raisin toast and a cup of tea, Suyash. It’s nice to “meet” you. 🙂

        Reply
  2. Monica Sharman says

    September 15, 2015 at 10:26 am

    Speak, gourd drum, ipu heke,
    From your carved-out hollows.
    Pound
    A story on ground and hands
    Of rains and trade winds finding green hills
    And blowholes under stark black rocks.
    Chant
    A song whose lyrics sing of both native pua
    and transplanted flower. What is her name who wore
    fragrant petals behind her right ear, and what is his name
    who moved it behind her left?
    Speak, Beating Heart,
    and tell your tales through my hands, hips, knees,
    the balls of my bare feet.

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      September 16, 2015 at 7:28 am

      Wonderful, Monica! Way to invoke. “…tell your tales through my hands, hips, knees…”

      Reply
  3. RickMaxson says

    September 15, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    Invocation of the Moon

    In this new room,
    the clutter is gone.

    The books with their flags,
    are stacked neatly on shelves.

    I sit on the floor
    and watch the carpet of moon

    dance over the clean slate
    floor down the hallway,

    nothing to stop its rolling,
    shadowless and cool.

    Sit with me a while Luna,
    give me your sheer light,

    your magic in my glass
    of wine—a word, a line;

    leave the argentine night,
    torn on the bare trees.

    Like the leaves, I drift,
    watching the dim spines,

    filled with keen energy,
    while all my songs are sleeping.

    Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      September 16, 2015 at 7:32 am

      “Your magic in my glass of wine–” What’s not to love in this poem? You’ve wooed the moon.

      Reply
    • juliea says

      September 21, 2015 at 12:48 am

      I love
      “Sit with me a while Luna,
      give me your sheer light,

      your magic in my glass
      of wine—a word, a line;

      . . . Like the leaves, I drift,
      . . . while all my songs are sleeping.

      How many times have I sat and nothing has come forth, yet many times so much-and I never write it down.

      Reply
  4. Andrew H says

    September 16, 2015 at 2:01 pm

    Musing

    I long to make the meter dance
    And twirl on chords of bardic joy –
    With such a skill, I’d paint in words
    Of gods and how they fought for Troy.

    Grant unto me, oh spectral one
    The grace my fathers knew-
    Make every note shine like the sun,
    Let each chord ring out true!

    For long I’ve spent in quiet hope
    Of something that I can’t express.
    Where is the greater scope
    That comes with your caress?

    Do not shy from mortality!
    It makes my inner furnace burn,
    And with its flame I’ll forge a song
    If only you would come along

    And hold my hand, that shining light
    Would make me seem a bird
    Who trills unconscious songs
    Which Homer near the Aegean heard.

    I need this, muse of ancient myth,
    For if you deign to be my flame
    I’ll use my pens to craft a song
    The like of which will never come again.

    Reply
    • Sandra Heska King says

      September 17, 2015 at 7:25 am

      “I long to make the meter dance.” I especially like that line cuz me, too. 🙂

      Welcome, Andrew. If you’ve been here before, I might have been in the back washing dishes. 😉

      Reply
      • Andrew H says

        September 17, 2015 at 12:34 pm

        Haha, thank you! I’ve made one other post in the Circus prompt, but understandable if you missed it. I was glad to find this place – it seems a great site, with many talented writers!

        Reply
    • Heather Eure says

      September 17, 2015 at 10:50 am

      What muse could resist your earnest plea? Thanks for sharing this gem, Andrew.

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Epic Poetry: The Simile Prompt - says:
    September 21, 2015 at 8:00 am

    […] to everyone who participated in last week’s poetry prompt. Here is a poem from Rick we enjoyed, Invocation of the […]

    Reply
  2. Invocation of the Moon says:
    January 12, 2016 at 10:49 am

    […] Copyright © 2015 Richard Maxson *** Posted on TweetSpeak Poetry Prompt: Invocation of the Muse […]

    Reply
  3. Sam’s Guide to Opening Sentences | To Find the Colors Again says:
    March 22, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    […] trick is to illustrate it in the very first sentence. I like to think of opening sentences as an Invocation of the Muse–that first line of an ancient epic poem where the poet would ask for divine aid in telling […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

Free with tweet

Welcome All the Goodness

Welcome all the
patron-only goodness,
when you become a part of a place
that brings joy to the world.

Follow Tweetspeak Poetry

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café.

You’re a regular? Check out our February Menu.

Recent Comments

  • rohit aggarwal on How to Write a Poetry Review
  • The cure for writer’s block – Moms on Poetry on A Poem a Day with Every Day Poems
  • Glynn on Poets and Poems: Benjamin Myers and “Black Sunday”
  • Florence F. Brooks on Writing, Paper & Quills: Ode to a Planner Prompt

A Love Story to Teaching

The Teacher Diaires Front Cover with Lauren Winner

“Hilarious, heart-rending, entertaining.”

—KA, Amazon reviewer

GET FREE SAMPLE NOW

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The New York Observer

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

Tumblr Book News

Categories

Poetry for Life? Here's our manifesto on the matter...

Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches

Help make it happen. Post The 5 Vital Approaches on your site!

Learn to Write Form Poems

Whether or not you end up enjoying the form poem, we've seen the value of building your skills through writing in form.

One reader who explored the villanelle was even featured in Every Day Poems!

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

Featured Literary Analysis

Poem Analysis: Anne Sexton's Her Kind

Poem Analysis: Adrienne Rich's Diving into the Wreck

Poem Analysis: Matthew Arnold's Dover Beach

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Order and Disorder in Macbeth

Tone in For Whom the Bell Tolls and Catch-22

Tragedy and Comedy: Why People Love Them

Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

Book Promotion, Platform, Publicity

Author Platform: Where to Start

Ten Surprising Secrets to Make Your Book Go Viral

How to Host a Successful Book Launch

Simple Tips on Finding and Working with a Book Publicist

How to Get Your Poems Published!

Pride and Prejudice Resources

5 Amusing Pride and Prejudice Quotes

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

10 Great Pride and Prejudice Resources

Happy Birthday Mr. Darcy: A Pride and Prejudice Playlist

Featured Top 10 Poems

Top 10 Chicken Poems

Top 10 Chocolate Poems (Okay, Minus 3)

Top 10 Fairy Tale Poems

Top 10 Funny Poems

Top 10 Laundry Poems

10 of the Best Love Poems

Top 10 Poems with Make or Break Titles

Top 10 Mirror Poems

Top 10 Question Poems

Top 10 Red Poems

Top 10 Rose Poems

Top 10 Summer Poems

10 Great Poems About Work

Children’s Poems, Children’s Books

Llamas in Pajamas and Ten Great Children's Poetry Books

A Children's Poem on the Playground

Come Again: Teaching Poetry to Children

Poetry With Children: What's in Your Journal

Teaching Poetry to Children: There Are So Many Blues

Take Your Poet to Work Day: Poet Treasure Hunt in the Library (Callie's Story)

6 Benefits of Reading Aloud to Your Children

Top 10 Children's Books and YA Books

Little Red Riding Hood: Graphic Novel

14 Reasons Peter Rabbit Should Be Banned (Satire)

The Latest Patron-Only Articles

Handwritten Letter

The Handwritten Letter: How To Tell A Friend You Adore Her

Braiding Sweetgrass Lost in Translation

Braiding Sweetgrass: Lost in Translation

Gratitude Together: Now Our Minds Are One

Braiding Sweetgrass book club

Braiding Sweetgrass: No One Asked the Plants

Featured Infographics

Infographic: How to Write an Acrostic Poem

Infographic: How to Write a Ballad

Infographic: How to Write an Epic Poem

Infographic: Ghazal for a Gazelle

Infographic: Boost Your Haiku High Q

Infographic: Pantoum of the Opera

Infographic: How to Write an Ode

Infographic: Poem a Day

Infographic: How to Write a Rondeau

Infographic: Simpleton's Guide to Pride and Prejudice

Sonnet Infographic: Quatrain Wreck

Featured Playlists

Playlist: Cat's Meow

Playlist: Doors and Passageways

Playlist: Fairy Tale and Fantasy

Playlist: Purple Rain and Indigo Blues

Playlist: Surrealism

Playlist: Best Tattoo Songs

Playlist: Trains and Tracks

All the Playlists

They Bring Poetry for Life

Meet our wonderful partners, who bring "poetry for life" to students, teachers, librarians, businesses, employees—to all sorts of people, across the world.

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Meet Our Team
  • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • Contact Us

Writing With Us

  • Poetry Prompts
  • Submissions
  • Writing Workshops

Reading With Us

  • Book Club
  • Dip Into Poetry
  • Every Day Poems
  • Literacy Extras
  • Quote a Day
  • VerseWrights Journal

Public Days for Poetry

  • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • Poetry at Work Day
  • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • Take Your Poet to School Week—National Poetry Month!
  • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • Give the Gift of Every Day Poems
  • Our Shop
  • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • Blog Buttons
  • Put a Poem in Your Heart, Or a Story in Your Soul
  • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2019 Tweetspeak Poetry · Site by The Willingham Enterprise · FAQ & Disclosure

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkRead more