The Songbird and His Rose

My take on the story of Orpheus and Eurydice

The Songbird and His Rose

Son of a Muse and a God, a little songbird that had not yet learned to fly. He had a melody in his heart, but he knew not what it meant. One day, he found his wings and he took flight to leave his nest. He yearned to know what that dear melody meant. The melody was mysterious. 

The more he flew, the more he saw, the more he began to learn what that melody meant. As he flew, he sang that little song. Until one day, he found a rose. The melody was sweet. The more he saw the rose and talked to the rose, the more he wanted the rose to be his alone. The melody was passionate. But the rose was the daughter of the wind and followed the wind wherever it went, so one day she moved on. The melody was melancholic. 

He searched the world to find his rose, and he found her. He convinced her to leave the wind and set off on her own. The melody was earnest. The rose kept refusing, and when she followed the wind, the songbird followed her. He followed her to the ends of the earth until one day she agreed. At last, the songbird had his rose. The melody was beautiful. The songbird and the rose loved each other, but unbeknownst to them, fate was a cruel one. 

While the songbird was away, Hades played a trick on the rose and trapped her down below in Death. The melody was fearsome. The songbird sought after the wind, thinking surely, his rose had gone back to the wind. He found that she had not gone to the wind, but instead, she had gone with Hades. He went to Hades and asked for his rose back, but Hades refused. The songbird pleaded with Hades until he took pity and agreed. 

Hades made a deal, saying that the songbird could take the rose as long as she stayed behind him, and he never looked back until they were free. The melody was hopeful. But Hades still had yet another trick, and he cast a fog around the little songbird so that he couldn’t hear his rose. The melody was doubtful. The more they traveled, the more the fear and doubt set in. As they neared freedom, the emotions the songbird felt became insurmountable and he had to glance back to see if she was still there. 

He watched as his rose was thrown back to Hades. The songbird couldn’t stop it, and he knew it was his fault. The melody was anguished. Finally, the songbird knew what his melody meant. It was his story. So he sang his melody, as he alone knew it would be his last song. As he neared the end, he stopped flying midair. The melody was haunting. As he was plummeting towards the ground, he hoped he would finally be reunited with his rose. But Hades still had one last trick to play, and as punishment for breaking his end of the deal, Hades kept them separated for eternity. 

Thus is the story of Orpheus the little songbird and his rose, Eurydice. The Muse kept the melody of the little songbird in her heart, and as she walked, mourning her son, she sang the melody. The Wind, mourning his daughter, the rose, carried the song and spread it wide like a farmer that spreads his seeds. Some say that if you’re quiet and still, you can still hear a faint song in the wind. It’s mysterious, sweet, passionate, melancholic, earnest, beautiful, fearsome, hopeful, doubtful, anguished, and haunting, but overall, it tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice.