Looking back at Orpheus

摘要

The poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, 'One of the most wonderful things in nature is a glance of the eye; it transcends speech; it is the bodily symbol of identity.'A single glance can represent synchrony of thought, an unspoken bond between close friends and family. Glancing back however is often a symbol of a reluctance to look forward, to be distracted, dwell on the past and remain static. To the ancient Greeks, Orpheus was a legendary prophet, poet and musician.1 The Greek myth of Orpheus and his wife Eurydice demonstrates the power of a single glance and warns of the consequences when one looks back'. The story begins at the wedding of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Eurydice was attacked by a satyr (male companions of the God of the Wild).2 While attempting to flee, she was bitten by a viper, which proved fatal and so was taken to the Underworld. Orpheus, in his grief, decided to venture to the Underworld himself to plead for Eurydice's return.