Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
University of California Press (1973), Edition: 1, Paperback, 124 pages
Description
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 English.
User reviews
LibraryThing member a211423
The best translation of Sappho I have ever read. Ms. Barnard has maticulously translated the fragments without embellishments or popular nuances which some other translations seem compelled to do.
LibraryThing member LisaMaria_C
Sappho is the great lyric poet of antiquity. Plato called her the "tenth muse." Her poems were preserved until nearly A.D 1000, at least according to A Book of Woman Poets, "when a wrathful church destroyed whatever it could find. In 1073 her writings were publicly burned in Rome and Constantinople
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by order of Pope Gregory VIII." Almost all of Sappho's poems survive only in fragments found in pot shards, scraps of papyrus used to wrap mummies and quotations by grammarians and others, ruins of once magnificent structures. Sadly, unless we get a major find on the order of the Dead Sea Scrolls, these 100 fragments are all we have. Not knowing Greek, I can't really judge Mary Barnard's translation, but despite the fragmentary nature of what survived Sappho comes through as a personalities and amazing poet: : vernal, refined--but at times frank in speaking of desire. The Footnotes starting on page 95 are illuminating. Show Less
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
Who is this poet? The lyrical nature of her poetry is evident at once, while the variety of thoughts resonate through the centuries. Can we get a glimpse of what life was like for this Greek woman from the fragments of her verse? Perhaps, we can get that glimpse and even more. I found the lines
With only fragments of her verse she charms the reader and evokes human emotions from the realms of ancient Greece. The power and beauty of her poetry shines forth like pieces of broken glass that glisten in the light of the sun. The translation by Mary Barnard rings true as fresh metaphors line the pages. Read this poetry and be entranced by the wonder of her words.
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about lives lived under the sun and stars resonated with me and evoked memories of similar experiences in my own life. Hidden among the references to strange gods were words of wisdom, praise of virtue, and emotions as familiar as any experienced by those who have seen the beginning of a new century.With only fragments of her verse she charms the reader and evokes human emotions from the realms of ancient Greece. The power and beauty of her poetry shines forth like pieces of broken glass that glisten in the light of the sun. The translation by Mary Barnard rings true as fresh metaphors line the pages. Read this poetry and be entranced by the wonder of her words.
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LibraryThing member danlai
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
“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.
Reading Barnard’s footnote, I may disagree with some of her methods of translation; compressing the poems where words were missing, for instance. But overall it is a nice little collection, one that I would gladly read again. However, I am super paranoid about reading translations, afraid that I might be reading a poorly translated version of what I should be reading. Barnard’s translation is a good one, but I will probably take a look at Anne Carson’s translation next.
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
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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.
Reading Barnard’s footnote, I may disagree with some of her methods of translation; compressing the poems where words were missing, for instance. But overall it is a nice little collection, one that I would gladly read again. However, I am super paranoid about reading translations, afraid that I might be reading a poorly translated version of what I should be reading. Barnard’s translation is a good one, but I will probably take a look at Anne Carson’s translation next.
Show Less
LibraryThing member benuathanasia
Beautiful in its simplicity. It didn't really inspire much reflection in me, but it was still soothing and pleasant.
LibraryThing member Olivia_Atlet_Writer
I adore Sappho and her beautiful poems, and this rating is not for her work, but for the translation of Mary Barnard. I find it to be more of an interpretation of Sappho's work, aiming for the stylistic aspects more than the literal translations. She captures the voice of Sappho, like a hum or song
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in the wind, but not her words as poetry. I personally prefer translations that are more academically-suited, but if you want to hear more of Sappho's directness and clear-cut speech, perhaps you should read this as well. Show Less
LibraryThing member alanteder
Still "New" after 60+ Years
Review of the 2019 UC Press reprint edition of the 1958 original Mary Barnard translation
Review of the 2019 UC Press reprint edition of the 1958 original Mary Barnard translation
LibraryThing member alanteder
Older Translations Feel Dated
Review of the Dover Thrift paperback edition (2018) which is a reissue of "Sappho Revocata" (1928) with translations by John Maxwell Edmonds (aka J.M. Edmonds), with an introduction from "Sappho: In the Added Light of the New Fragments Being a Paper Read Before the
This is definitely the most economical edition currently available with a cover price of only $4 U.S. It contains 164 poems and fragments assembled into 9 Books as curated by Edmonds. The division into 9 Books is a standard grouping as it is an attempt to mimic the historical record that a supposed 8 or 9 Books existed at one time (assembled by later scholars, not by Sappho herself). This is also one of the conventional standard translations as it also the one used for the Loeb "Lyra Graeca: Being the Remains of All the Greek Lyric Poets from Eumelus to Timotheus Excepting Pindar", originally 1928 but with several reissues.
There are several downsides though, which make it somewhat frustrating. The Greek texts from the 1928 editions are omitted and only the English translations are presented. These are often in somewhat flowery English which harkens back to Shakespearean or Victorian writing. The contrast to the more recent translations such as Mary Barnard's "Sappho: A New Translation" (1958) or Anne Carson's "If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho" (2002) is very apparent.
There is also the oddity that the translations used as examples in the Introductory lecture from 1912 are almost always different from the 1928 translations used in the body of the text, indicating that Edmonds was constantly revising. This may interest you or frustrate you depending on the degree of consistency you are comfortable with. Edmonds is also very free with his additions and speculations on missing words and lines, although he is transparent about it through the use of square brackets [ } and in the footnotes.
Still, it is the most bargain friendly edition available and is somewhat of a standard. Barnard for instance cross references her numbered selections to Edmonds' numbering. For the amateur Sappho scholar, it is an easy selection to make for your library in order to contrast century old translations and styles to more modern ones.
Review of the Dover Thrift paperback edition (2018) which is a reissue of "Sappho Revocata" (1928) with translations by John Maxwell Edmonds (aka J.M. Edmonds), with an introduction from "Sappho: In the Added Light of the New Fragments Being a Paper Read Before the
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Classical Society of Price College, 22nd February 1912" (1912).This is definitely the most economical edition currently available with a cover price of only $4 U.S. It contains 164 poems and fragments assembled into 9 Books as curated by Edmonds. The division into 9 Books is a standard grouping as it is an attempt to mimic the historical record that a supposed 8 or 9 Books existed at one time (assembled by later scholars, not by Sappho herself). This is also one of the conventional standard translations as it also the one used for the Loeb "Lyra Graeca: Being the Remains of All the Greek Lyric Poets from Eumelus to Timotheus Excepting Pindar", originally 1928 but with several reissues.
There are several downsides though, which make it somewhat frustrating. The Greek texts from the 1928 editions are omitted and only the English translations are presented. These are often in somewhat flowery English which harkens back to Shakespearean or Victorian writing. The contrast to the more recent translations such as Mary Barnard's "Sappho: A New Translation" (1958) or Anne Carson's "If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho" (2002) is very apparent.
There is also the oddity that the translations used as examples in the Introductory lecture from 1912 are almost always different from the 1928 translations used in the body of the text, indicating that Edmonds was constantly revising. This may interest you or frustrate you depending on the degree of consistency you are comfortable with. Edmonds is also very free with his additions and speculations on missing words and lines, although he is transparent about it through the use of square brackets [ } and in the footnotes.
Still, it is the most bargain friendly edition available and is somewhat of a standard. Barnard for instance cross references her numbered selections to Edmonds' numbering. For the amateur Sappho scholar, it is an easy selection to make for your library in order to contrast century old translations and styles to more modern ones.
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Language
Original language
Greek (Ancient)
Original publication date
0580 BCE circa
1958 (Barnard translation)
Physical description
124 p.; 7.28 inches
ISBN
0520223128 / 9780520223127