Communions: Henri seems to be a reference to the “Henri de Lausanne”, a preaching monk and heresiarch who wandered in the region of Le Mans, France, in the Middle Ages. However, Henri de Lausanne lived in the twelfth century, not in the fifth, as mentioned in the first verse of this poem. Therefore, it is unclear whether Rick was really referring to Henri de Lausanne or if he made a deliberate mistake.

Jeremiad: This is a religious-political poem of which Rick was particularly proud. It is an acrostic, with each line beginning with a letter in the English alphabet, in sequence. It is also constructed as a lamentation, similar to what would be seen in the Biblical “Book of Lamentations”, whose authorship is traditionally attributed to the prophet Jeremiah.

Amor Condusse Noi ad Una Morte: The title is a reference to a poem of the same name written by the Mexican writer Xavier Villaurrutia (1903-1950).

Gone Sailing: In ancient Greek mythology, Euterpe is the goddess of music, song, and dance; she is also the muse of lyric poetry, which is probably the aspect that Rick is suggesting in this poem. Other references to Euterpe occur in the poem “Footsore on Parnasus” (see note below).

Apologia pro Vita Sua: The title is a direct reference to a work of the same name by the English priest and poet John Henry Newman (1801-1890), in which he defends his religious opinions.

Diomedes in Retirement: Diomedes is part of Greek mythology and one of the main characters in the Iliad, by Homer. He was one of the warriors in the Trojan War and was regarded as a symbol of heroic values.

Footsore on Parnassus: In this poem, Rick refers to Euterpe as the Muse of Lyric Poetry (not the goddess of music, song, and dance). He also names the other eight Muses: Calliope (epic poetry), Clio (history), Erato (love poetry), Malpomene (tragedy), Polyhymnia (hymns), Terpsichore (dance), Thalia (comedy), and Urania (astronomy).

According to the author’s own notes, the reason for words such as “footsore” and “cripple” is because he was actually injured when he went to visit Mount of Parnassus, a mountain of limestone that oversees Delphi, located in central Greece. In order to avoid being hit by a scooter while in Athens, Rick had to jump for the curb of a sidewalk and twisted his ankle. He spent the day lying in bed in his “cheap and unpleasant” hotel. The next day, he decided to go to Delphi anyway, even if he had to crawl up the slopes of Parnassus. Rick notes: “‘I am a poet, and poets must go to Parnassus.’ So I went, and it was an explosively moving experience. I hobbled about the mountain all day in a happy agony. But it was years later that I wrote this poem about it.”

Omphalos is a rounded stone in Delphi. It was once placed where the Greeks thought was the middle of the world.

Odysseus returned: This is a poem Rick wrote before his trip to Greece. In Greek mythology, Odysseus was the son of Laertes and Antikleia and the king of Ithaca. He is the hero of Homer’s Odyssey.

Elo: Elo is a word extracted from the Portuguese language. It is pronounced as ˈɛlu and means “connection, link, or the rings in a chain”.

At Yeat’s Grave: William Butler Yeats (1865-1939), Irish poet and one of the main figures of 20th Century English literature. Here, Rick alludes to several of Yeats’ poems. In Rick’s own words: “‘rag and bones’ comes from ‘rag and bone shop/of the heart’, found in the poem ‘The Circus Animals’ Desertion’. Also, I quote from Auden’s ‘In Memoriam W.B. Yeats’. That is why ‘You were silly like the rest of us’ is in quotes. That is from Auden’s poem.”

Agamenon Nosteos: Another reference to a character and great warrior of the Iliad. In Greek mythology, he was the son of King Atreus, brother of Menelaus, husband of Clytemnestra, father of Orestes, Iphigeneia, Electra, and Chrysothemis, and the king of Mycenae or Argos.

Nosteos, or Nostos, is a term used to refer to a homecoming journey in a literary context, and also is used to refer to the return of Odysseus as narrated in the Odyssey.

Achilles and My Car: In Greek mythology, Achilles (or Achilleus) was a Greek hero and the greatest soldier in the Trojan War. He is also the central character of Homer’s Iliad.