Pure Pagan: Seven Centuries of Greek Poems and Fragments
by Burton Raffel (Translator)
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“For there is indeed something we can call the spirit of ancient Greece–a carefully tuned voice that speaks out of the grave with astonishing clarity and grace , a distinctive voice that, taken as a whole, is like no other voice that has ever sung on this earth.” –BURTON RAFFEL, from his Preface For centuries, the poetry of Homer, Aristophanes, Sophocles, Sappho, and Archilochus has served as one of our primary means of connecting with the wholly vanished world of ancient Greece. But show more the works of numerous other great and prolific poets–Alkaios, Meleager, and Simonides, to name a few–are rarely translated into English , and are largely unknown to modern readers. In Pure Pagan, award-winning translator Burton Raffel brings these and many other wise and witty ancient Greek writers to an English-speaking audience for the first time, in full poetic flower. Their humorous and philosophical ruminations create a vivid portrait of everyday life in ancient Greece –and they are phenomenally lovely as well. In short, sharp bursts of song, these two-thousand-year-old poems speak about the timeless matters of everyday life: Wine (Wine is the medicine / To call for, the best medicine / To drink deep, deep) History (Not us: no. / It began with our fathers, / I’ve heard). Movers and shakers (If a man shakes loose stones / To make a wall with / Stones may fall on his head / Instead) Old age (Old age is a debt we like to be owed / Not one we like to collect) Frankness (Speak / As you please / And hear what can never / Please).There are also wonderful epigrams (Take what you have while you have it: you’ll lose it soon enough. / A single summer turns a kid into a shaggy goat) and epitaphs (Here I lie, beneath this stone, the famous woman who untied her belt for only one man). The entrancing beauty, humor, and piercing clarity of these poems will draw readers into the Greeks’ journeys to foreign lands, their bacchanalian parties and ferocious battles, as well as into the more intimate settings of their kitchens and bedrooms. The poetry of Pure Pagan reveals the ancient Greeks’ dreams, their sense of humor, sorrows, triumphs, and their most deeply held values, fleshing out our understanding of and appreciation for this fascinating civilization and its artistic legacy. From the Hardcover edition. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
One of my favorite poet-translators, Burton Raffel, translated these Greek lyrics. Through their poetry, the poets in this anthology offer a window into ancient Greek culture. Among them are the very obscure to the somewhat less obscure, with a few familiar names like Plato. There are poems and fragments of poems for everyone's taste. Reading them, I enjoyed making connections with my own life and our twenty-first century culture. Seeing how these ancient poets influenced some of our greatest contemporary poets was also fascinating.
"Pure Pagan" is celebrated for its role in bringing obscure Greek poetry to light, offering readers a glimpse into the diverse voices of ancient Greece. I appreciate Raffel's modern interpretation. Because show more of its wide range of selection and lively, if occasionally contentious, translation style, it is a great addition for anyone interested in ancient poetry. Overall, it is a beautiful selection of poetry.
If you're interested in exploring ancient Greek poetry through a contemporary lens, this book might serve as an engaging introduction or a complementary read to more traditional translations. However, for those seeking a translation closer to the original rhythm and tone, opinions suggest looking at other translators' works as well. show less
"Pure Pagan" is celebrated for its role in bringing obscure Greek poetry to light, offering readers a glimpse into the diverse voices of ancient Greece. I appreciate Raffel's modern interpretation. Because show more of its wide range of selection and lively, if occasionally contentious, translation style, it is a great addition for anyone interested in ancient poetry. Overall, it is a beautiful selection of poetry.
If you're interested in exploring ancient Greek poetry through a contemporary lens, this book might serve as an engaging introduction or a complementary read to more traditional translations. However, for those seeking a translation closer to the original rhythm and tone, opinions suggest looking at other translators' works as well. show less
An OK collection. Though I can't comment with regards to their fidelity to the originals, the translations themselves read well. Lacks any notes to explain the poems context, and strangely organizes them in alphabetical order by poet, rather than the in my mind more sensible chronological.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Pure Pagan: Seven Centuries of Greek Poems and Fragments
- Original publication date
- 2004
- Dedication
- FOR GILES ANDERSON
- First words
- Trees:
All right,
Plant trees.
But first
Plant
Vines. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Euphorion the exquisite poet
Lies under these harbor stones.
Offer that knowing singer a peach or an apple, or even berries,
For when he lived he loved all of them. - Blurbers
- Fagles, Robert
Classifications
- Genres
- Poetry, Fiction and Literature
- DDC/MDS
- 881.0108 — Literature & rhetoric Classical & modern Greek literatures Classical Greek poetry Different categories of Greek classical poetry Philosophy and Theory Archaic
- LCC
- PA3622 .R38 — Language and Literature Greek language and literature. Latin language and literature Greek literature Translations
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 107
- Popularity
- 302,287
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.64)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 3
- ASINs
- 1
