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A lavish collector’s edition and authoritative translation of the great lyric poet Sappho—alongside the original Greek for the first time.
The one hundred poems and fragments in this volume are almost all that remains of the legendary poet Sappho. Yet in Mary Barnard’s unparalleled, immensely moving translation, the spirit of Sappho comes alive.
As Melissa Mueller describes in the new introduction to this classic translation, to encounter Sappho in the distinctly original voice of Barnard is to encounter her anew. A respected poet in her own right, Barnard wove these fragments into a compellingly cohesive collection that follows a woman’s life journey. Intimate and incisive, these verses hold a playfulness that allows Sappho’s voice to reverberate into the present.
Barnard’s long-celebrated translation is now available in an elegant clothbound gift edition featuring a gold ribbon page marker and a striking cover. With Mueller’s compilation of the original Greek alongside each poem, this beautifully crafted classic is an essential addition to any poetry lover’s collection.
Mary Barnard (1909–2001) was a prominent American poet and translator. She studied Greek at Reed College and began to translate at Ezra Pound's suggestion in the 1930s. She received the Western States Book Award for her book-length poem, Time and the White Tigress.
Melissa Mueller is Professor of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and author of Sappho and Homer: A Reparative Reading.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t write poems without Sappho, and I couldn’t write poems without this Sappho. For better or worse this morning wouldn’t be the same without your beauty.”—Eileen Myles, author of Chelsea Girls
“How did modern readers find out that Sappho was wonderful, or that Sappho was (as we say now) Sapphic? Twentieth-century Americans, many of us, found out through Mary Barnard's concisely elegant versions: beautiful in themselves, achingly intimate, carefully informal. Barnard's Sappho does not get lost in antiquity, nor is the fragmentation of the work fetishized. Instead, she created a Sappho who felt—who still feels—real.”—Stephanie Burt, editor of Super Gay Poems: LGBTQIA+ Poetry after Stonewall
“This stark, evocative translation of Sappho reimagines what the fragment is capable of achieving. Shocking, beautiful, and visceral—the bridegroom songs shimmer with longing. With an expert introduction by Melissa Mueller, this generous collection offers something new to scholars and fans alike.”—Grace Byron, author of Herculine