I Know You Are Just Awakening From Your Sleep, Salme tou Alsos, But I Know You Will See This Before You Depart Rifton. Here I Ask You Remember The Words From That Poem You Are So Fond Of Quoting. This Part In Particular: “You only have to let the soft animal of your body / love what it loves.”
That Is All Anyone On This Journey Has Asked Of You. Listen.
… Are you Melpomene? Who I met on Tulinsuojat?
No. We Did Not Meet On Tulinsuojat. We Have Not Met At All, And It Is Unlikely That We Will. But I Am Not Not Melpomene.
I Would Not Normally Intervene At All. However, Your Mind Had Been Vexed To Nightmare And I Wished To Offer A Reminder Only. You Have It Well In Hand Now, So I Will Refrain From Further Commentary
But I have questions. Who are you? How do you. Are you me? Do you know me? Do I know you? Why is it the Angel of Tragedy?
I Know You Have Questions. You Would Not Be You If You Did Not, And That Is A Precious Thing Indeed. However, I Cannot Answer Many Of These Questions To Your Satisfaction. Know, At Least, That You Are Yourself And That I Am Myself.
I Cannot Tell You Why She Was Called The Angel Of Tragedy Because I Did Not Choose That Title, But I Can Tell You About Tragedy. I Do Not Know If This Was The Thought Process, But:
Before tragedy meant ‘tragedy,’ a tragedy was a song, a story, a competition between tellers, who danced riotously in honor of a god of wine and madness and ritual. Before tragedy meant ‘tragedy,’ a tragedy was joy, and it was also pain. It was the lancing of a boil, the feeling of tension unspooling, announcing your place in the family of things.
Melpomene Also Means ‘Song.’ Melpomene Is The Daughter Of Memory. Melpomene Mourns. Someone Has To, Don’t They?
I Am Not Certain That Is What Was Meant When Her Name Was Written. But That Is What Such A Name Means To Me.