Sarah Siddons as the Tragic Muse paintings of Melpoméne, she is represented with a tragic mask and also often holds in her other hand a knife or club. In Greek mythology, she is the daughter of Zeus and Mnemosyne, who had eight other daughters, Melpoméne's sisters and the eight other muses are: Calliope, muse of epic poetry; Clio, muse of history; Euterpe, muse of flute playing; Terpsichore, muse of dancing; Erato, muse of erotic poetry; Thalia muse of comedy; Polyhymnia, muse of hymns; and Urania, muse of astronomy. Reynolds was inspired not only by Sarah Siddons' extreme talent to embody the tragic heroine in Macbeth, but
Nasīb (poetry) Nasīb (poetry) Nasīb () is an Arabic literary form, 'usually defined as an erotic or amatory prelude to the type of long poem called a "qaṣīdah".' However, although at the beginning of the form's development "nasīb" meant 'love-song', it came to cover much wider kinds of content: 'The "nasīb" usually is understood as the first part of the "qaṣīdah" where the poet remembers his beloved. In later ages the "nasīb" stood alone, and in that sense the meaning came to be understood as erotic and love poetry.' Early and prominent examples of the "nasīb" appear in the "Mu'allaqāt" of the