Skip to content

Scottish Poetry Library

Register/Sign in
Shopping Bag Shopping Bag
Bringing people and poems together
  • Home
  • COVID-19
    • Re-Opening FAQ
  • Poetry
    • Makar – National Poet
      • New Scottish Nature Poem for COP26
        • Writing for the Scottish Nature Poem
      • The story of the Makar – National Poet of Scotland
    • Scotland’s Young Makars
    • The 2021 Callum Macdonald Memorial Award
      • Poetry Commissions: Walter Scott 250
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2021
      • Poetry Ambassadors 2020
    • Poetry Ambassadors
    • Derick Thomson 100
    • Poets
    • Poems
    • Best Scottish Poems
    • Poetry and Mindfulness
    • Posters
    • Publishers
    • Podcasts
  • Library
    • Become a borrower
    • Catalogue
    • Collections
    • Ask a librarian
    • Copyright enquiries
  • Learning
    • NPD 2021 with Hollie McNish
    • National Poetry Day 2019
    • National Poetry Day archive
    • SQA set texts
    • Learning resources
    • New to poetry?
    • Advice for poets
  • Events
    • What’s On
    • Meeting rooms and Venue hire
    • Exhibitions
  • Shop
    • Poetry Highlights
    • Poetry for Every Day
    • Poems for Doctors, Nurses & Teachers
    • Scottish Poetry
    • Poetry Pamphlet Cards
    • Help
  • About us
    • Our story
    • Our people
    • Our projects
    • Jobs
    • Our building
    • FAQs
    • Find us
  • Support us
    • Become a Friend
    • Donate
  • Blog
Shopping BagShopping Bag
Ask a librarian
  • Home
  • >
  • Poetry
    • >
  • Orpheus
Donate Donate icon Ask a Librarian Ask a Librarian icon

Orpheus

Orpheus - by Paul Valéry

{ Poem }

I compose my spirit from under the myrtles- Orpheus,I write, Exemplar thee! … Fire falls in descendent spirals: He transforms the bare mountain, which awed is found—A mountain cowed, a mountain crowned in majesty;Whence resonance exhales, pure as the art In an act of a sacred deity. If the god should sing, as he sat […]

from Under the Eildon Tree - by Sydney Goodsir Smith

{ Poem }

XII. Orpheus …

  • Newsletter signup
  • Accessibility
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Scottish Poetry Library
5 Crichton's Close, Canongate
Edinburgh EH8 8DT
Tel: +44 (0)131 557 2876
© Scottish Poetry Library 2022.
The Scottish Poetry Library is a registered charity (No. SCO23311).
City of Edinburgh logo Green Arts Initiative logo Creative Scotland logo
Scottish Poetry Library