By: Julia Fini
Inspired by the musical ‘Hadestown’ and the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice
One foot rose and fell after the other,
A steady beat filled the air as if drums followed his path
A lyre strung around his back, tapping against his mortal bones
Heavy breaths flooded the world with their noise
He was to walk along the path and not look back
To lead Eurydice out of the underworld and be with her forevermore.
If he failed, Hades would take her back
And there would be nothing he could do about it
His head was held high, his confidence nearing the skies
He wouldn’t look back, for his trust in love ran far too deep
Eurydice promised she would follow him
And he believed her
Gods watched from above and below
Gazing as the lovers went through the ultimate test
Would trust win out? Or would the feeble hearts of mortals turn to worry?
Orpheus knew the answer
He knew he would never look back
He trusted Eurydice to follow him
The girl whose name was like a melody
Who had hummed along to his song
He trusted her
The fates sang in his head
Planting the seeds of doubt he had fought off
She would follow him, and he would lead her
But what if she did not follow? They whispered
What if Hades is tricking you and she is down there while you walk free?
How can you be so certain she would follow you?
Orpheus tried not to listen to their taunts
His love would bring them through this
And then he could be with Eurydice
No matter which way the winds blew
Who is to say you can do this? The fates questioned.
Why are you the one who can lead her back to life?
Who are you when it comes to gods and fate?
And this time, Orpheus listened
He wanted to turn, to see her
Or to not see her, to see an empty road of broken hearts, the fates cooed
She would be there, he argued
Yet his head still spun, and time still stopped
Her breath still caught in her throat as Eurydice met the eyes of Orpheus
His heart still paused as he realized she had trusted him
But he could not trust her
And as she was dragged back to the underworld, back to Hades and the work she would be subjected to
Orpheus stood watching
For all he had done to stop it
Doubt had come in
And he had listened to it.
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