“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end”

—  Homér , The Odyssey (Cowper)

Source: The Odyssey

Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Ancient Greek epic poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

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“Sing in me, Muse, and through me tell the story
of that man skilled in all ways of contending,
the wanderer, harried for years on end,
after he plundered the stronghold
on the proud height of Troy.
He saw the townlands
and learned the minds of many distant men,
and weathered many bitter nights and days
in his deep heart at sea, while he fought only
to save his life, to bring his shipmates home.
But not by will nor valor could he save them,
for their own recklessness destroyed them all—
children and fools, they killed and feasted on
the cattle of Lord Hêlios, the Sun,
and he who moves all day through the heaven
took from their eyes the dawn of their return.”

Robert Fitzgerald (1910–1985) American poet, critic and translator

opening lines
The Odyssey (1961)

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“Tell me a story, Pew.
What kind of story, child?
A story with a happy ending.
There's no such thing in all the world.
As a happy ending?
As an ending.”

Jeanette Winterson book Lighthousekeeping

Source: Lighthousekeeping (2004), p. 49

Homér photo

“Tell me, O muse, of travellers far and wide”

Homér Ancient Greek epic poet, author of the Iliad and the Odyssey

“The most difficult lie I have ever contended with is this: Life is a story about me.”

Donald Miller book Blue Like Jazz: nonreligious thoughts on Christian spirituality

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“Tell me a story.
In this century, and moment, of mania,
Tell me a story.
Make it a story of great distances, and starlight.
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But you must not pronounce its name.
Tell me a story of deep delight.”

Robert Penn Warren (1905–1989) American poet, novelist, and literary critic

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“You don't bring me flowers.
You don't sing me love songs.
You hardly talk to me anymore.
When you come through the door
At the end of the day.”

Neil Diamond (1941) American singer-songwriter

You Don't Bring Me Flowers, co-written with Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Song lyrics, I'm Glad You're Here with Me Tonight (1977)

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“Magic was singing in me, through me; I felt the murmur of his power singing back that same song.”

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“Tell me a story then… keep me occupied."
"A story?… What makes you think I can tell a story?"
"Insight," said the king, "Go on.”

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Source: The King of Attolia

“Man's history is the story of his wanderings”

Eugene M. Kulischer (1881–1956) American sociologist

Source: Europe on the Move: War and Population Changes, 1917-1947, 1948, p. 8 as cited in: Susanne Schätzle (2004) Migration und Integration in Deutschland. p. 10
Context: Man's history is the story of his wanderings. Some epochs of the remote past have frequently been called 'periods of great migrations.' This terminology presumes that at other times migratory movements were at a standstill, especially in the case of a so-called 'sedentary' people. Every epoch is a period of "great migrations".

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