Sappho's Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece

by Diane J. Rayor (Translator), W.R. Johnson (Foreword)

Sappho sang her poetry to the accompaniment of the lyre on the Greek island of Lesbos over 2500 years ago. Throughout the Greek world, her contemporaries composed lyric poetry full of passion, and in the centuries that followed the golden age of archaic lyric, new forms of poetry emerged. In this unique anthology, today's reader can enjoy the works of seventeen poets, including a selection of archaic lyric and the complete surviving works of the ancient Greek women poets—the latter appearing together in one volume for the first time.

Sappho's Lyre is a combination of diligent research and poetic artistry. The translations are based on the most recent discoveries of papyri (including "new" Archilochos and Stesichoros) and the latest editions and scholarship. The introduction and notes provide historical and literary contexts that make this ancient poetry more accessible to modern readers.

Although this book is primarily aimed at the reader who does not know Greek, it would be a splendid supplement to a Greek language course. It will also have wide appeal for readers of' ancient literature, women's studies, mythology, and lovers of poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, History, Nonfiction, Greece, Mythology, Greek Mythology

238 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Diane J. Rayor is Professor Emerita of Classics at Grand Valley State University, where she co-founded the Classics Department in 2000. Her second edition of Sappho: A New Translation of the Complete Works (Cambridge University Press, paperback Feb. 2023) includes more poems and an audio recording by Kate Reading. Rayor’s other book translations of ancient Greek poetry and drama include Euripides' 'Medea' (2013), Sophocles' 'Antigone' (2011), Homeric Hymns (California 2014), and Sappho's Lyre: Archaic Lyric and Women Poets of Ancient Greece (1991). Rayor was granted the Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship for translating Euripides’ Helen and the University of Colorado’s Roe Green Visiting Theatre Artist for Euripides’ Hecuba. Her translations of Euripides’ Helen and Hecuba, under contract with Cambridge, will join Medea and Antigone—maybe next year? Her tragedy translations have been performed in Singapore, Australia, Canada, UK and US. She also assisted in the TEDEd production on the origin of the word “Lesbian”: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/ancient-gr...

Reviews

[Roman Clodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensitive modern translations of archaic Greek lyric

This is a modern translation of the extant fragments of Sappho alongside other archaic Greek poets such as Archilochus, Anacreon and Corinna. The translations are both modern and sensitive but you should be aware that we have hardly any complete poems so these really are frustrating fragments, but still often very beautiful. Perhaps we still might find lost complete copies (in the basements of some of the world's museums?) but for the moment these are like glorious glittering links in a chain which has been broken.

[Cheyenne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rayor is one of my favorite translators, and I prefer her translations of Sappho's works particularly over many of the other translations I have read. They aren't as stark or literal as Carson's, and give more of a picture of what is happening in the poems, and how the words used in the poems might be used by us today, which makes it more accessible for those who are not as familiar with Sappho's works. I checked this book out from my college library simply to read the translations of Sappho and was introduced to a litany of other lyric poets as well, which I appreciated.

[Ronnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simplemente increíble. Esperaba algo más básico y aunque no hay mucho material porque considerando la antigüedad de los poemas no se puede exigir demasiado, es una buena base para entrar con las poetisas de la Antigua Grecia. La idea de incluir a poetas me pareció buena pero estaba más familiarizada con su trabajo y honestamente no fue tan interesante como el descubrimiento del talento de las poetisas. Todas fueron maravillosas y ahora me veo obligada a tratar de relacionarme más con su trabajo individual. Bastante recomendables para quienes quieran empezar con la poesía griega por placer o tengan que estudiarla.

Los dejo con algo de mis favorita (después de Safo) Nossis:

1
Nothing is sweeter than love, all other riches
second: even honey I've spat from my mouth.
This Nossis says: Whomever Kypris hasn't kissed
knows nothing of her flowers, what sort of roses.
2
Stranger, if you sail to the land of lovely dances, Mitylene,
to catch fire from the blossom of Sappho's graces,
say that a friend to her and the Muses, the Lokrian land
bore me. And knowing my name is Nossis, go on!

[Cep Subhan KM · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book to complete The Norton Book of Classical Literature since it cover the holes available there by presenting completely classical women poets. The brief biographical information for each poet along with its explanatory notes for each poem are very helpful since sometimes the too long age between us makes it is hard to understand the classical poems without understanding the context.

[Monica Frederick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the way Rayor explains her translation and her responsibility as a translator.

It’s hard to enjoy ancient works if you can’t trust the translator. I love that there is a full collection of Ancient Greek women poets with an excellent translator!

[Charissa Shepard · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love that this book is organized from furthest in the past to nearest. I loved all the notes about each poem, sometimes I wanted more. Knowing these different writers names and where the missing lines are was really impactful to me. I really enjoyed this book.

[Derek · Rating 5 out of 5]

While this book contains one of the worst forewords I have ever read in an academic text thus far, Rayor's collection, translation, and breadth of notation allows a much easier-to-read experience than other translators of Greek lyricists, especially as someone with little cultural context in which to frame many of these poems and fragments.

I am, however, somewhat surprised that the translator decided to include her scant biographical introductions of each lyricist in her notes. I believe it would have been more helpful to provide an individual introduction prior to each poet. I also believe that footnotes would have been helpful, in order to reduce the mass of notation in the rear of the book. I oftentimes found myself awkwardly holding this book open at several spots with splayed fingers; these poor digits ache.

Fascinating overall, however, and decidedly one of the most interesting, readable, and fun academic texts I have read in a long while.

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sappho's Lyre presents us both with a comprehensive history of Greek lyric poetry, but also smart translations of the existing poems and fragments from the golden age of Greek lyricism. Like all translations, sometimes the cultural references get lost, but Raynor does a terrific job in bringing these poems to life.

[Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is beautiful stuff. I bought it just because it's a part of a complete library, but pretension aside, I liked it a whole bunch.

[E Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

dr rayor has done a wonderful job on this one.