![]() ![]() It’s all based on personal preference, of course. To be referred to as a god or goddess is a humbling thing, and saying to someone, “you are my muse,” is basically like calling them a god or goddess to you. Though the original meaning of “muse” is lost in today’s world, it is seen as a mighty compliment to the scholars who know who they are. Over time, people started to use “muse” to showcase the same thing that the Greek goddesses stood for. The Muses were the inspirational goddesses of the arts and literature, with each of them (there were nine in total) representing a different creative practice or style. The phrase’s origin has to be dated back to Greek Mythology, where we were introduced to the Muses. What Is The Origin Of The Phrase “You’re My Muse”? ![]() For now, we’ll focus mostly on the meaning and when you can use it for yourself. Since “you are my muse” is a poetic phrase meaning someone helps your creative juices flow (poetry is included in this), people rarely use it. ![]() The saying is somewhat old-fashioned and rarely used today because people value poetic phrases less. ![]() Whether that’s to do with their artistic ability, their creativity, or something else in their life, as long as you’re having a positive impact on them and their outlook, you may often be considered as their “muse.” It’s a very kind (and often flirty) way to tell someone that they inspire you. The meaning of “you’re my muse” is that someone finds you to be their creative or artistic inspiration. That way, if ever someone uses them in front of you, you know what they mean. However, they’re still relevant today, and it’s important to know what they mean. Whilst it’s by no means a classic sonnet, Sonnet 38 holds its own in the sequence – and the reference to ‘Eternal numbers to outlive long date’ remains fairly well-known.Certain sayings seem to have fallen out of favor over time. Which is it, then? But after that, the sonnet gets into its stride. The meaning of Sonnet 38 is reasonably straightforward, although lines 3-4 are a little less clear than the rest, partly because it almost sounds as if Shakespeare is contradicting himself: he goes from saying that the Fair Youth is such a great source of inspiration that nobody could fail to be inspired by him, to saying that the Youth is too ‘excellent’ for more ‘vulgar’ poets to benefit from. It’s high praise to live up to – but then such flattery is part and parcel of the Elizabethan sonnet sequence. But we shouldn’t let such an interpretation cloud us to the primary meaning of Sonnet 38: namely, that the classical muses who have inspired poets for countless centuries since ancient times have now been superseded – by one young man in England, living in the Elizabethan era. But in light of Sonnet 20 in particular, Shakespeare’s bestowal of such a title on the Fair Youth is suggestive at the very least. Of course, it’s possible to take a ‘homoerotic analysis’ of Shakespeare’s Sonnets too far, and see gay symbols everywhere. So in referring to the Youth as the ‘tenth Muse’, Shakespeare is returning to an idea presented in the 20 th sonnet (that the Youth has ‘a woman’s face’) but also the homoerotic nature of his attraction to the young man. The notion of the Fair Youth as a ‘tenth Muse’ is notable, not least because the nine Muses were female, and the most famous person garlanded with the sobriquet ‘tenth Muse’ was Sappho, the ancient Greek female poet from the island of Lesbos, who, thanks to the homoerotic nature of her poetry, gave us the word ‘lesbian’. The nine Muses, of course, were the personification of artistic inspiration in ancient Greece: not just poetry but music, dance, history, and other artistic disciplines and pursuits. If my rather modest powers of creativity are pleasing in these strange times, the painful labour of poetic creation is mine to bear, but you will be the one who is praised.’ And whoever comes to you for inspiration, help him to write timeless poetry that will survive forever. Feel free to take the credit if you find anything in my work that’s worth reading after all, who is so stupid and bad at writing that they cannot write to you, when you make it easy for them? Be the tenth Muse, ten times more valuable than the nine from ancient times that inferior poets invoke for inspiration. A brief paraphrase of Sonnet 38 before we roll those interpretive sleeves up any further: ‘How can my muse lack inspiration or new material as long as you, Fair Youth, are alive? You are the very reason I can write poetry, and are too excellent and fine to be the subject of lesser “vulgar” poets’ work. ![]()
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