Sappho

by Mary Sappho [Barnard

Paperback

Published January 1, 1966

Reviews

[whoever whenever · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eternal and wonderful. Read these poems the same way you’d look out to the horizon from the beach.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked how Barnard really made the poems her own. I could only truly appreciate this and let go of any potential frustration because we have so many other translations available.

By adding titles for instance, she completely adds another layer to the poems, which I sometimes thoughts leant itself really well to the poem, sometimes I felt was too unsubtle and maybe even jarring. Regardless, in her work as a translator, she took control of the formatting, presentation, and overarching themes; all are bold choices and I really liked that she fully embraced it.

[Elie Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Sleep, darling. I have a small daughter called Cleis who is like a golden flower. I wouldn’t take all of Croesus’ kingdom with love thrown in, for her.”– Sappho

It’s poems like this that preserves and resurrects the intimate emotions and experiences of those who lived thousands of years before us.

[Cursed_Hal · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Its my first time reading poems so emm idk much yet, might re-read after i've learn more of them

[Sash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insanely prescient. I definitely recommend this translation for anyone curious about sappho