linguistic:paraphrasing
Proem

In the proem or preface, the poet may begin by invoking a Muse or similar divinity. The poet prays to the Muses to provide them with divine inspiration to tell the story of a great hero.

Example opening lines with invocations:

An alternative or complementary form of proem, found in Virgil and his imitators, opens with the performative verb "I sing". Examples:

This Virgilian epic convention is referenced in Walt Whitman 's poem title / opening line "I sing the body electric".

Compare the first six lines of the Kalevala:

These conventions are largely restricted to European classical culture and its imitators. The Epic of Gilgamesh, for example, or the Bhagavata Purana do not contain such elements, nor do early medieval Western epics that are not strongly shaped by the classical traditions, such as the Chanson de Roland or the Poem of the Cid.