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Opening prayer

Form
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A devotional or invocatory passage that begins a poem, often addressing a deity or muse

Detailed Definition
Opening prayer is a devotional or invocatory passage at the start of a poem that addresses a higher power, ancestral spirit, or abstract ideal to seek blessing, guidance, or witness; distinct from the classical call to muse, it often carries liturgical weight and situates the poem within a sacred or ethical framework from its inception.
Example
Example in poetry:
John Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: “Sing, Heavenly Muse”; Homer’s “Iliad”: “Sing, O goddess, the anger of Achilles”; Virgil’s “Aeneid”: “I sing of arms and the man”; Dante’s “Inferno”: “O Muses, O high genius, now assist me!”
Additional Notes
An opening prayer begins a poem with devotional address (to God, muse, or abstract force); often sets tone of humility or invocation; students should compare traditional (Milton) and secular (Rich) adaptations.
Also Known As
Initial invocation Devotional opening Sacred address Liturgical commencement Invocation
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