The Silenced of Silenus: Canto 11 of Orpheus

"The Silenced of Silenus" is the eleventh canto of Kit Ludlow's art-poetry epic, Orpheus. Years have passed since Orpheus journeyed into Hades to retrieve his wife. That adventure failed due to his cursed look-back. After Bedlam, the famed poet wandered into Sheol, a forgotten underworld. He had no narrative; only lyrical verse to make sense of the world. In the fifth canto, Orpheus awakens from his daze to begin the reclamation of his wife, poetry. Orpheus, in the sixth canto, realizes he must sacrifice himself to Dionysus. In the seventh, "Dance for Danace", Orpheus discovers that he is "no one". As no one, he calls for Charon to ferry him across the Styx and to the gates of Hades. There he tells Charon to pity the suicides. In the eighth canto, Orpheus is confronted by the sorrows of the shallow. There he must decide to continue his journey or rest. In the ninth canto, his vanity is tested. After being tested for vanity, Orpheus as "no one" confronted desire. Desire came in the form of the Sirens in the tenth Canto. In the 11th canto, Orpheus encounters Silenus, the mentor of Dionysus.

Every line of the poem is illustrated by the poet's artwork. All artwork is original to the canto.

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