the deepening ground

Like many of these songs, I’ve wanted to avoid the obvious retelling of the classic mythological tales that these constellations represent, but I found this story so compelling that I chose to structure my stanzas around the four movements or seasons of the life of Orpheus. What stood out to me as the real takeaway from this story came from the second loss of Eurydice when Orpheus looks back too soon upon exiting Hades. (If you’re not familiar with the tale, check it out HERE.)

In traditional ballad fashion, the final line of each stanza is the refrain that encapsulates the message: you’re never moving forward if you’re always looking back. Of course, I’m not suggesting we abandon our past and ignore our history (especially on a day that’s set aside to memorialize those who have given so much for our country). I cherish our personal, local, and national history. But there comes a time that you have to “act in the living Present! / Heart within and God o’erhead!” (A Psalm of Life by Longfellow). In this song, Orpheus reminds us of the danger of fixating on the past, and though not directly stated, calls us to properly value our past, living in the present with an eye to the future.

And that is the heart of Memorial Day…

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Lyra

Vincent H. Anastasi - 2023

Father worked his wonders on these strings
And mother wove her words into the fabric of my dreams;
She birthed the song in me, enchanting everything.
I turned the course of rivers with my song,
Out-sang seductive Sirens when they sought to steer us wrong.
I roused the sailor’s zeal when weariness grew strong.
Though I mastered music quickly,
Rocks and trees would move to greet me,
The setting sun relentlessly moves on.
And all my talents fade with the evening growing black,
And I’m never moving forward, for I’m always looking back.

Audiences came from near and far
But none could pluck the strings of my un-awakened heart
Until Eurydice became my guiding star.
Her beauty far surpassed my lyric grace;
In all the crowds that gathered round, I always sought her face.
Hand-in-hand we pledged our lives to interlace.
But our starry-eyed affection,
Left us blind to the deception
Of jealousy’s pursuit of what it wants,
And in our flight for freedom we flew right into a trap,
Now I’m never moving forward, for I’m always looking back.

Endless grief consumed my every thought,
So with my voice and lyre I would plunder Hades’ halls
And bring back to the light, the lover that I lost.
Cerberus, he howled out in despair
And Sisyphus sat down to rest upon his rocky chair
And Hades offered me a joy beyond compare.
But on the long dark journey out
Overwhelmed by taunting doubts,
I turned, at last, to see if she was there.
Now all that I embrace is the pain of what I lack
And I’m never moving forward, for I’m always looking back.

There is no consolation to be gained,
Song my only solace for my love that slipped away;
Forsaking all these crowds, I wander night and day.
And when the maenads came to take my life
I knew that in my death I would return to my wife,
So let the river flow and bring me to her side.
And now in stars immortalized
My lyre echoes through the night
With silent songs from celestial spheres.
This constellation lights the way to wisdom you may lack
That you’re never moving forward, no, you’re never moving forward,
Oh, you’re never moving forward when you’re always looking back.