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| Long ago, a sea nymph by the name of Calypso, daughter of the Titan Atlas, lived in solitude on the mythical island of Ogygia. During this lonely existance, a ship returning from Troy came across the feared monsters, Scylla and Charybdis, both at each side of the strait separating Italy and the island of Sicily. In order to placate the angry Helius, who was angered by Odysseus' comrades because they had murdered the immortal cattle while in the Island of the Sun, Zeus decided to strike the vessel with lightning and send them all to death. All perished except for one man: Odysseus. Washed ashore on Ogygia, Calypso received him kindly and looked after him, letting him remain in the cave sheltered by alders, aspens, and cypresses. She soon became enamored of Odysseus, wished to retain him for an eternity, and conferred on him immortality if he would commit himself to her forever. Despite how inviting these promises were, Odysseus refused her offer, wishing to return home to be reunited with his wife and son in Ithaca. However, Calypso held him prisoner for seven years in hopes that he would change his mind. Unable to endure Calypso's acts of enslavement, Athena decided to go to Zeus and present her case to him about the obsessive sea nymph. At last, Calypso received the command of Zeus to dismiss him by a message from Hermes, finding her in her grotto. To her reluctance, she had no choice but to release him and supplied him with the means necessary to construct a raft, provisioned it well for him, and gave him a suitable gale to send him on his way. However, she was grieved to see him go, tears streaming down her face from a broken heart as he sailed away. The island soon sank beneath the sea, flooded by the saline of her own eyes as she wept. Yet through the river of tears, a child was born. |
| The god Poseidon, called Neptune by Romans, saw Calypso's melancholy and decided that her heartache would not be in vain. Thus, he molded her tears to create a siren that would eternally symbolize the agonies of lost love, a reminder to all immortal creatures of the sea not to fall in love with a mortal. She was named Psamanthe, derived from the nereid Psamathe, the first nymph to see Calypso's creation alongside Poseidon. As not to confuse the two despite the fact that an "n" is added to it, Psamanthe goes by the name Psi. She was exceptionally gifted in music, having a more serene, mesmerizing voice than her sisters. Furthermore, she could stir any emotion she desired within another being by the type of song she created. However, her own blessings and gifts accompanying her immortality became curses. Despite how addictive her music was to their ears, the gods became displeased with her voice because of how she could master their emotions with that single instrument. Therefore, Zeus ordered that Poseidon lift Ogygia from its abysmal depths to become her new home, and she sing only to lure sailors to their deaths. Though she did accept the renewed island as her abode, she refused to sing for destruction and demise and chose to become mute for an eternity after years of watching their inner torment. She grew tired of the cruelty from her loneliness, her solos of misery and thirst for companionship that would never be quenched. Having enjoyed the hypnotizing masterpieces, Apollo decided to give Psi a lyre to play the harmonies she was forbidden to sing. She quickly mastered the instrument and pleased the gods to the extent that Zeus granted her one wish that he found feasible: she would be allowed to visit the land of mortals so that she would not live so isolated. Unfortunately, she would never be able to speak to or come in physical contact with them. She can project her thoughts to others and can receive them, that being her only form of communication besides the tantalizing sonatas from her lyre. As a result of her existance to be a reminder against mortals, she cannot be touched by mortal hands. Any portion touched by that kind results in a burning sensation that can be unbearable if continued. And though she constantly yearns to be around others, she must always return to the sea. It is her curse, and her blessing. Perhaps one day she will find favor with the gods and her innate talents will shine again. Until then, she is forever bound to an eternity in silence. |
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| Canto Alla Vita |
| Canto Alla Vita Translation |
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