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Sappho: A New Translation
by
Sappho,
Mary Barnard , Dudley Fitts
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 translations are lean, incisive, direct--the best ever published. She has rendered the beloved poet's verses, long the bane of translators, more authentically than anyone else in ...more
Paperback, 114 pages
Published
December 8th 1999
by University of California Press (Berkeley)
(first published 1958)
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I confess that upon first encountering this volume I only thought the smaller fragments little nothings:
82
Rich as you are
Death will finish
you: afterwards no
one will remember
or want you: you
had no share in
the Pierian roses
You will flitter
invisible among
the indistinct dead
in Hell’s palace
darting fitfully
(Barnard’s note reads: “Stobaeus, anthologis...more
Stanley Lombardo and Anne Carson have largely improved on Barnard's work, but Sappho: A New Translation still stands as one standard translations of the 20th century. There are moments when it shines, when Barnard seems to have "had a share in the Pierian roses," but, overall, I just don't feel as moved by these verses as others' translations. Even the most staid translator couldn't suppress Sappho, and Barnard does moderate justice to the poet's legacy.
I don't know if I'm ...more
I don't know if I'm ...more
With his venom
irresistible
and bittersweet
that loosener
of limbs, Love
reptile-like
strikes me down
Sappho. Her style was a sensual melody of love and yearning.
Sad to say, with the exception of a single poem available in its entirety, today we're left with only fragments of her original work. (view spoiler) Even sadder to say, this is -at least in part- down ...more
irresistible
and bittersweet
that loosener
of limbs, Love
reptile-like
strikes me down
Sappho. Her style was a sensual melody of love and yearning.
Sad to say, with the exception of a single poem available in its entirety, today we're left with only fragments of her original work. (view spoiler) Even sadder to say, this is -at least in part- down ...more
I’d be lying if I said that love isn’t one of my favorite subjects.
It’s obvious that Sappho is a wonderfully gifted poet. I wish that I could read the poems in their entirety, but sometimes the mystery of what is lost adds to their beauty. Who cannot wonder of what she speaks of in this fragment?:
“That was different.
My girlhood then
was in full bloom
and you—”
This is all we have, but it already speaks bounds of what it means to be young and in love...more
It’s obvious that Sappho is a wonderfully gifted poet. I wish that I could read the poems in their entirety, but sometimes the mystery of what is lost adds to their beauty. Who cannot wonder of what she speaks of in this fragment?:
“That was different.
My girlhood then
was in full bloom
and you—”
This is all we have, but it already speaks bounds of what it means to be young and in love...more
view all 4 comments
Sappho~one of the few known female poets of the ancient world. She studied the arts on the isle of Lesbos which was a cultural center in the seventh century.Sappho wrote her poems with the accompaniment of a lyre and was one of the first poets to write from the first person instead of from the point of view of gods and muses.Sappho was honored in ancient times and is the inspiration for modern poets some two thousand years later. What an amazing artist!!
Some favorite fragments that r...more
Some favorite fragments that r...more
The poetry of Sappho exists only in fragmentary form today--and yet those fragments are packed full of so much imagery, feeling, ambiguity, and depth in Barnard's translation that you hardly feel as though you're missing out.
I first read this volume a decade ago and remembered liking it a great deal, though I could recall very little of it. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised to find some of the fragments starred as my favorites from back then. Some of them would still rank...more
I first read this volume a decade ago and remembered liking it a great deal, though I could recall very little of it. This time around, I was pleasantly surprised to find some of the fragments starred as my favorites from back then. Some of them would still rank...more
I'll be honest - by and large, I prefer Latin poetry over Greek, at least when we're talking shorter works like these. This may in part be due to the fact that I studied Latin for years, and if you give me a book with Latin-English side-by-side, I will love you forever. It's a math puzzle in word form and it gives me tingles.
But Sappho is required reading for anyone interested in the Classical period. Now, it's been a while since I read Sappho, but the writing is beautiful - as ...more
But Sappho is required reading for anyone interested in the Classical period. Now, it's been a while since I read Sappho, but the writing is beautiful - as ...more
Beth
rated it
Recommends it for:
Greek mythology buffs, poetry people, people with little time to read
These poems are fabulous tiny nuggets. Very lyrical. I can't speak for the translation, never having read another translation, but I will say that I was impressed by how densely packed the poetry was, given that it's translated.
Here's a favorite:
I was so happy
Believe me, I
prayed that that
night might be
doubled for us
And also this one:
With his venom
Irresistible
and bittersweet
that loo...more
Here's a favorite:
I was so happy
Believe me, I
prayed that that
night might be
doubled for us
And also this one:
With his venom
Irresistible
and bittersweet
that loo...more
Danger Kallisti
rated it
·
review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
classicists, young women
Shelves:
classics
The talent of Sappho was truly remarkable: she wrote a bunch of girlie love poems, and not only are they readable, they’re actually good.
Of course, some of this owes to the translation. Barnard makes clear the challenges of stitching together two-thousand-year-old lyric verse from scraps of papyrus which reappear in archaeological digs in the form of decoupage on sarcophagi. She also pointed out the problems in trying to accurately convey anything written in a language as vague and...more
Of course, some of this owes to the translation. Barnard makes clear the challenges of stitching together two-thousand-year-old lyric verse from scraps of papyrus which reappear in archaeological digs in the form of decoupage on sarcophagi. She also pointed out the problems in trying to accurately convey anything written in a language as vague and...more
Read this in my Narratives of the Self class last year. The prof presented it as semi-erotic (probably to entice the jockish dudes in the class. I don't blame him, it worked) but I found it to be not as salacious as he had hinted.
That being said, it WAS hot in a i'm-a-lit-nerd-here's-how-you-get-in-my-pants sort of way. Plus, for being old foreign romantic poetry, it was approachable. Even for the knuckle-draggers that thought Don Quixote had to be "like, a REAL knight, dude. He has ...more
That being said, it WAS hot in a i'm-a-lit-nerd-here's-how-you-get-in-my-pants sort of way. Plus, for being old foreign romantic poetry, it was approachable. Even for the knuckle-draggers that thought Don Quixote had to be "like, a REAL knight, dude. He has ...more
Sappho > a lot of stuff
It's amazing how fragments of lost epics can stand alone as imagistic short poems, and the effect they can have on so many different readers. They're really amazing.
People love to project things onto Sappho - just try to identify the most literal translation and you'll see what I mean. But on the other hand, it's interesting to study all the things she has represented to other writers over the ages: the tenth Muse, the lyrical lover of men, the h...more
It's amazing how fragments of lost epics can stand alone as imagistic short poems, and the effect they can have on so many different readers. They're really amazing.
People love to project things onto Sappho - just try to identify the most literal translation and you'll see what I mean. But on the other hand, it's interesting to study all the things she has represented to other writers over the ages: the tenth Muse, the lyrical lover of men, the h...more
I don't often give a 5 star rating but this book was wonderful in so many ways. The translator didn't embellish and allowed Sappho's words and style to stand on their own merit. I wisk more of her work survived the ages.
I don't know how different this translation is from Mary Barnard's old translation (the one I read). But, if you're a fan of good and ancient poetry, either translation will do.
A book of poems that range from utter sadness to sheer joy. She's also possibly a lesbian so that pretty damn fine. A class act read, quite the tasteful greek.
The evening star
Is the most
beautiful
of all stars
I confess
I love that
which caresses
me. I believe
Love has his
share in the
Sun's brilliance
and virtue
Is the most
beautiful
of all stars
I confess
I love that
which caresses
me. I believe
Love has his
share in the
Sun's brilliance
and virtue
Really first-class translations: no nonsense approach. Student of Pound, therefore meticulous on use of metres, cadences.
The man did some good, then! (Naughty!)
The man did some good, then! (Naughty!)
Always a pleasure to read, this is one of the best, simplest translations I have ever read. It's so good, it makes you want to know Greek.
Four stars not Sappho's fault--only because most of the poetry is in fragments and I really wanted more for some of them!
What's gorgeous is gorgeous, but there's some weird stuff in here too. Wish we had more of this available to work with.
I love Sappho - but I really really wish my favourite poem by hers was there (Sappho 31). Still a great read. :)
The author of the forward puts it well: "...it is stripped and hard, awkward with the fine awkwardness of truth."
I was first made aware of the Greek lyric poet Sappho by The Fugs' rendition of her "Hymn to Aphrodite" in their Tenderness Junction album, the one with Timothy Leary and Allen Ginsberg joining the rest in "Tune On, Tune In, Drop Out." To their credit, they did it in the original Greek. Later, when I got my hands on the Loeb edition, I compared their version to the printed one, making a halfhearted effort to memorize it. Finally, when my stepbrother Erik Badger went to Shi...more
Anyone that loves literature needs to read Sappho. Her poetry is simple, timeless and just beautiful.
"if you are squeamish, do not prod the beach rubble" enough said.
Sappho: A New Translation by Mary Barnard (1958)
Jenni Baudoin
added it
Read for class in college. Very interesting
Sappho: A New Translation by Sappho (1999)
Best translation of Sappho to date.
hate poetry.
I gave this five stars because I love Sappho, and I think that more people should explore her works. She sings throughout time.
Barnard's translation is good, in fact, some translations are great. Other times I feel that her translations are flat, and aren't as lyrical as I've seen them elsewhere. I should mention, though, that I don't speak Greek. It may be that Barnard's translations are truer in meaning, whereas other translators took more creative license. I dont know. I'll read t...more
Barnard's translation is good, in fact, some translations are great. Other times I feel that her translations are flat, and aren't as lyrical as I've seen them elsewhere. I should mention, though, that I don't speak Greek. It may be that Barnard's translations are truer in meaning, whereas other translators took more creative license. I dont know. I'll read t...more
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Sappho (Ψάπφω) was an Ancient Greek lyric poet, born on the island of Lesbos. In history and poetry texts, she is sometimes associated with the city of Mytilene on Lesbos; she was also said to have been born in Eresos, another city on Lesbos. Her birth was sometime between 630 BC and 612 BC, and it is said that she died around 570 BC. The bulk of her poetry, which was well-known and greatly admire...more
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“If you are squeamish
Don't prod the
beach rubble.”
—
7 people liked it
More quotes…
Don't prod the
beach rubble.”
