Sappho: A New Translation

by Sappho

Book Overview

These hundred poems and fragments constitute virtually all of Sappho that survives and effectively bring to life the woman whom the Greeks consider to be their greatest lyric poet. Mary Barnard's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0520223128
• ISBN13: 9780520223127
• Release Date: December 1986
• Publisher: University of California Press
• Length: 114 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 4.6" x 7.3"

Customer Reviews

Sensual beauty in its purest form

Sappho's poetry, long the most famous of ancient literature, is rendered superbly in this translation by Mary Barnard. Although as a child and young adult I never read literature seriously, various factors have made me curious about Sappho's writings and this small volume is an ideal pocket book or gift. The poems are not easy to get into because it takes the reader quite some time to see what is being written about, but the fact that they are mere fragments actually serves to a limited extent as an offsetting factor. The tone is wonderfully passionate - it is no wonder these poems are known to have been sung to musical accompaniment because even when one reads them they can move the emotions even of a reader like me who is never naturally moved to tears. However, because this emotion is only visible when one reads the lines as Barnard translates them, it is no wonder a casual reader may not realise what passion Sappho possessed. Although Sappho is known for her sensual focus, many of these fragments have an almost spiritual tone to them, as in "the indistinct dead/in Hell's palace". The beautiful lines about the sweet flavours of the natural world stir the reader's imagination even more, however, and are almost unrivalled among poetry or music. Whilst the detail in the introduction is not as good as in the alternative translation The Love Songs of Sappho, it is still adequate for the uninitiated.

"there's so much beauty..."

Rich Mullins once wrote "there's so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see." And so it is with the poetry of this ancient Greek lady Sappho. Without her extra eyes, I would be robbed of some sights I could not have found without her. For instance, in one of her poems, she writes:"Awed by her splendorStars near the lovely moon cover their own bright faces when sheis roundest and lights earth with her silver"Not only is there beauty. There is a straightforwardness and frankness to the poems of Sappho. It is a clear distillation of the poet's vision confronts the readers of these pages. There is also wisdom and humor. As when she writes:"Experience shows usWealth unchaperoned by Virtue is neveran innocuous neighbor"Mary Barnard is to be praised for these clear, unvarnished translations. Likewise, the introduction is very useful in dispelling so much of the myth that has sprung up around the legacy of this great poet. I recommend this book highly.

A pure earthy pleasure

Bernard's translation of Sappho is a translation of a poet who is down-to-earth, who pays attention to the detail.Some of the fragments are so brief that you are reminded of haiku: "The nightengale's / The soft-spoken / announcer of / Spring's presence"Other poems speak specifically of feminine concerns - the lost of the maiden-head, the color of ribbon that fits best in her daughter's yellow hair.I read a great deal of poetry in translation. In other translations I have not found Sappho to my liking. This translation appears to me to be truer to the author's earthliness and less concerned with making Sappho fit into preconceptions. In short, I highly recommend this translation.

Timeless

Beutiful. Read it to someone you love.The copy may seem spare at first but the power of Sappho's words more than fill the page. I was first introduced to this text by a dear friend. That is how you should share it. This translation is both complete and avoids overly politicizeing her life. Well worth the price.