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stefhyena's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
I'm not convinced about making the translations rhyme. The translator says several times that he is not a poet which begs the question why he had a go at rhyming them? It seems clumsy and though i don't know enough about Sappho's time to be sure potentially anachronistic as well as is some of the language he has chosen "paps"???? really? for a lesbian...no THE Lesbian poet?
My ideal tranlation (nerd that I am) would give the greek and a word by word translation for a reader to make sense of (this would also improve my greek) but I understand why that is not here. I would have liked more rationale for the way this was translated. The introduction did not seem useful to someone who doesn't alreay know a lot about Sappho (references to some sort of calumny against her but not filled in what that was or why we don't agree with it). I would have liked the historical material to be more clear, les "knowing wink to show I am smart" and more actually giving information and I always really appreciate when translators explain the relationship of their translation to other translations and why they chose to go the way they did.
I guess this is what I get for going for the much cheaper edition. I am tempted to try to get a different translation from the library or something to see if I like it better. I also feel like this can't be the complete works of Sappho since it seemed to be missing my favourite one about jealousy (yes I know everyone knows it) unless it was translated out of coherence.
It's worthy of scholars to work with Sappho but apart from that basic, this was very disappointing.
My ideal tranlation (nerd that I am) would give the greek and a word by word translation for a reader to make sense of (this would also improve my greek) but I understand why that is not here. I would have liked more rationale for the way this was translated. The introduction did not seem useful to someone who doesn't alreay know a lot about Sappho (references to some sort of calumny against her but not filled in what that was or why we don't agree with it). I would have liked the historical material to be more clear, les "knowing wink to show I am smart" and more actually giving information and I always really appreciate when translators explain the relationship of their translation to other translations and why they chose to go the way they did.
I guess this is what I get for going for the much cheaper edition. I am tempted to try to get a different translation from the library or something to see if I like it better. I also feel like this can't be the complete works of Sappho since it seemed to be missing my favourite one about jealousy (yes I know everyone knows it) unless it was translated out of coherence.
It's worthy of scholars to work with Sappho but apart from that basic, this was very disappointing.
tanemariacris's review against another edition
I could not hope to touch the sky with my two arms.
Oh but she has somehow succeeded in doing precisely that. Not only is Sappho one of the greatest archaic poets, but she also represents an emblematic figure that came to be associated with female homosexuality. Her being the talented, symbolic woman she was makes it difficult to accept how little we know about her life and the reduced amount of her work that was preserved over time. It is estimated that she wrote around 10 000 lines of poetry out of which only about 650 survived.
It is a real pity that we will never be able to take delight in more of her words as it appears they never fail to illustrate the most bittersweet, universal aspects of life in such a simple, yet powerful manner. Especially her poems concering Eros convey emotion in its purest, most timeless form and they still deeply move people after 3000 years since their creation.
This is the first collection of Sappho's poetry that I have indulged myself in and I was pleasantly surprised by the succint, clear information surrounding her. The translation managed to convey the intensity of the feelings potrayed, even though I personally find the versions of her poems without rhyme more impactful. Reading this enhanced my admiration for "The Poetess", "The Muse", the brilliant woman who shall always remain a mystery and an inspiration to all those who have found comfort in her legacy.
enyaxiang's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever read! The way Sappho writes about love is very simple and pure (introduction calls it “childlike”). One of my favorite pieces is one scolding her brother about all the grief he gives her
thegildedfantasy's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
"Someone, I tell you, in another time will remember us."