Laodamia To Protesilaus Comments

This is a marvel of a poem. The language is so strong as befits a myth of stoic courage, you admit a deeply felt loss and it suffuses the poem with its echoing pain. This is the very thing stoicism denies us, but in your poem philosophy and pathos are harmonized in a perfect balance. And that makes for a most satisfying contemporary version of the ancient myth. You are probably familiar with Wordsworth's poem: he wrestled with his ending but did not find that balance of contraries you give voice to. There is both finality and hope in your poem because you don't impose a premature closure. I'm reminded of the courageous words Ann Druian spoke after the death of her husband, Carl Sagan. They accepted the fact it was a forever farewell, but the memories, the memories! Wordsworth describes a tree at Protecilaus' grave as A CONSTANT INTERCHANGE OF GROWTH AND BLIGHT. There is always something spiritually alive when human emotions are sincere. Your poem means a great deal to me. I'm putting a copy of it in my Wordsworth volume.