Pink Floyd - Sysyphus (1970)

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Originally published at YouTube on May 15, 2017.

This is the entirety of Richard Wright's opus, "Sysyphus," from the Pink Floyd double album, Ummagumma. "Sysyphus" parts 1 through 4 are inclusive. Based on the Greek mythological character Sisyphus who, in life, was said to be the King of Corinth. There are MANY versions of the Sisyphus myth concerning his life, death, and fate in Tartarus. This video centers on ONE of these versions.

Following a short introduction that summarizes various points regarding the underworld and the ultimate fate of Sisyphus, we meet the goddess of the underworld, Peresphone, who was forcibly dragged alive into the underworld by its god Hades (Pluto in Roman myth). We watch as she is tricked into becoming its queen for six months out of each year by eating six pomegranate seeds. She is then approached by the shade of Sisyphus who tricks her into believing that he had been brought to the underworld by mistake, causing her to order his release. Outraged by the escape of Sisyphus, Hades drags him back into the underworld and casts him deep into Tartarus where he must spend eternity rolling a huge boulder up a steep hill, only to have the enchanted rock roll away from him before he reaches the top. The focus then shifts to the other shades in Tartarus seeking escape, some screaming, but none able to leave as well as the agitations of the god Hades himself. During the quiet interlude in Part 3 we witness a flashback of the body of Sisyphus being prepared for the voyage across the river Styx, the stillness of Styx and its banks, the serenity of the part of Hades known as Elysium, the quiet despair of the Mourning Fields, and the dark eternal wanderings of the many dead shades, with contrasts between the world above and the world below. The finale begins with the jolt of an organ, the quick decent of Sisyphus through caverns into the underworld, and the worst aspects of both the underworld and Tartarus. Hades is besides himself with anger with the many dead souls trying to escape, clutching the dirt and rocks with their hands as they ascend in vain only to fall back. The opus ends as we once again witness Sisyphus in Tartarus and his eternal task of rolling a huge boulder up a pointed hill with no hope of ever resting it at the top.