# Chorus of Cloud Maidens explained — Poetry

> Chapter companion for Poetry by Oscar Wilde.

## What happens

The Cloud Maidens sing of their ethereal nature, rising from Ocean to soar over pine-covered mountains and nymph-haunted rivers. They invoke the land of Pallas (Athens), celebrating its heroes, mysteries, temples, statues, and festivals, including Bacchanal dances and musical contests.

## Themes in this chapter

### Nature and the Seasons

The Cloud Maidens embody natural phenomena—dew, mist, rain—and their movement through the sky and over landscapes reflects the seasonal cycle and the beauty of the natural world.

### Classical Mythology and Antiquity

The chorus draws directly from Aristophanes and Greek mythology, invoking Ocean, Pallas, Kekrops, and Bacchus, and celebrating the mysteries and temples of ancient Athens.

## Character check-ins

### Pallas

Invoked as the patron of the land (Athens) to which the Cloud Maidens wing.

### Bacchus

Referenced as the wine-god in whose honor the Cloud Maidens tread a measure.

## Key lines

> Cloud maidens that float on for ever, Dew-sprinkled, fleet bodies, and fair, Let us rise from our Sire’s loud river, Great Ocean, and soar through the air To the peaks of the pine-covered mountains where the pines hang as tresses of hair.

The Cloud Maidens, ever-floating and dew-kissed, propose to rise from their father Ocean and fly to the pine-covered mountain peaks.

_The opening establishes the maidens' divine origin and their aerial journey._

> Let us cast off the haze Of the mists from our band, Till with far-seeing gaze We may look on the land.

They shed their misty veils to gain a clear view of the land below.

_This transition from mist to clarity symbolizes a shift from obscurity to revelation._

> To the Pallas-loved land let us wing, To the land of stout heroes and Power, Where Kekrops was hero and king, Where honour and silence is given To the mysteries that none may declare.

They fly to Athens, the land beloved by Pallas, known for its heroes, its king Kekrops, and its secret religious mysteries.

_The passage celebrates Athens' mythological and religious heritage._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters/chorus-of-cloud-maidens
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/poetry_18_se/chapters