Prompt: The Myth of You
“to sing love, love must first shatter us” H.D.
I’ve been doing some reading of H.D., friend to Ezra Pound, D.H. Lawrence, William Carlos Williams and other great poets of the early 20th centry.
H.D. is known as “poet’s poet,” developed a cult-like popularity among poets in her time, but is mostly lost to the modern age. Large portions of her work are reinterpretation of Greek mythology, which makes it seem — on the face — archaic, in an age where few of us study classic literature.
A key to understanding H.D.’s poems is that she not only reinterpreted classical myth, but also used “myth as a distancing mask for her own life.” In other words, she recreated classic stories to fit her own personal narrative.
Poetry foundation has a full biography on H.D. if you’re interested in her background. Excerpts from from H.D.’s Collected Poems, 1912–1944 are below.
Prompt: The Myth of You
- Write yourself into a fable/myth (or)
- Rewrite a classic story in the hero’s voice, but as you would interpret the experience.
H.D. offers a masterclass in voice and imagery, and I hope this prompt challenges you to explore the same.
I look forward to what you create!
