Description

For the first time in Penguin Classics-the incomparable verse of the ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho, in a brilliant new translation

Sapho's writings are said to have filled nine papyrus rolls in the great library at Alexandria, but only one poem survives complete. This new translation of all of Sappho's extant poetry showcases the wide variety of themes in her work, from amorous songs celebrating adolescent females to poems of invocation, desire, spite, celebration, resignation, and remembrance. Aaron Poochigian captures the eros and mystery of Sappho's verse, bringing to readers of English the living voice of the poet Plato called "the tenth Muse," whose lyric power remains undiminished after 2,500 years.

About the Author

Sappho was born sometime between 630 and 617 BC and died around 570. She was a native of the island of Lesbos and is renowned as the first woman poet in literary history.

Aaron Poochigian is the D. L. Jordon Fellow at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. His poems and translations have appeared in a number of journals, including Chimaera, Classical Journal, and Unsplendid.

Carol Ann Duffy is a British poet and playwright.