poetry

Book Club | June 2018: Catullus

Our Book Club readings for this month are selections from the poetry of Catullus. We will start the discussion in the Forum, and there will be a Google Hangout on Tuesday, June 26 at 11 a.m. EDT—the link will be posted in the Forum at that time. Gaius Valerius Catullus was a renowned Roman poet. He had a short life: he was born around 84 BCE or 87 BCE, and he… Read more

Book Club | November 2017: Selections from Horace

  This month’s Book Club discussion will be on selections from the poetry of Horace. We will be reading Odes from Book 4, which comprises 15 poems and from which you can read as many as you wish; and a selection from the Satires. You can choose which to read, but here are some suggestions: Book 1 Satire 4 ‘A Defence of Satire’, Book 1 Satire 10 ‘On Satire’, Book 2… Read more

Open House | The poetry of Horace, with Gregory Nagy

We were delighted to welcome Gregory Nagy, Francis Jones Professor of Classical Greek Literature and Professor of Comparative Literature at Harvard University, and Director of the Center for Hellenic Studies, for a discussion on the poetry of Horace. In preparation for this event, you might like to read his article in Classical Inquiries: Some imitations of Pindar and Sappho by Horace The Odes of Horace on Perseus: Ode 4.1 Ode… Read more

Under Discussion: The song of Daskalogiannis

A guest post by Euthymia Kalogera I had heard by chance the song of Daskalogiannis. My son Andreas is learning Cretan dances and I discovered that the dance Pentozali which has its roots in the Ancient Pyrrhic dance like the dance Serra of the Pontiac Greeks, was first danced by Daskalogiannis and his men before the revolt of 1770. Daskalogiannis invited a famous traditional violin player to teach his men… Read more

In Focus: Song 1 of Sappho

|1 You with pattern-woven flowers, immortal Aphrodite, |2 child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I implore you, |3 do not devastate with aches and sorrows,|4 Mistress, my heart! |5 But come here [tuide], if ever at any other time |6 hearing my voice from afar, |7 you heeded me, and leaving the palace of your father, |8 golden, you came, |9 having harnessed the chariot; and you were carried along… Read more