Ekphrasic poems

Ekphrasic poems and stories are my jam. I love the creativity, the merging of writing and other other art forms.

Here are three lines from famous ekphrasic poems that swirl in my head.

Homer (from The Iliad, describing Achilles’ shield):

“On it he wrought the earth, the heavens, and the sea, the unwearied sun, and the moon near full, and all the signs that crown the heavens.”

John Keats (from Ode on a Grecian Urn):

“Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard / Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on.”

W. H. Auden (from Musée des Beaux Arts):

“About suffering they were never wrong, / The Old Masters: how well they understood / Its human position.”