In the seventh sonnet, Prešeren made something that was later seen as a prophecy of his own glory: referring to the ancient myth of
Orpheus, he invoked the skies to send a new Orpheus to the
Slovenes, the beauty of whose poetry would inspire patriotism, help overcome internal disputes, and unify all Slovenes into one nation again. In the eighth sonnet, he went on in exposing the reasons why such an Orpheus—the
metaphor for
high culture in general and poetry in particular—had not yet been produced by the Slovenes. Exposing a decidedly negative vision of
Slovenian history, consisting of nothing but foreign invasions and internal disputes ("the roar of tempests o'er a home unkind"), he maintained that it was the lack of glorious deeds that had hindered the flourishing of poetry. But, he went on in the next sonnets, there was still hope for the renewal of
Slovenian poetry and thus for the coming of an Orpheus that would unify all the nation with his gentle singing: Julija only had to "send rays from her eyes for their glory to renew". Prešeren's message was clear: if Julija accepted his advances, she would become the
muse inspiring solemn poems which would bring a new high culture to the Slovenes and thus make them a nation again. ==Legacy==