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 Sappho, by Gustav Klimt | In regards as to how he reconstituted Sappho's Odes, Richard Vallance writes … "Working from Loeb Classical Library's, "Greek Lyric I: Sappho and Alcaeus", I have done my level best to reconstitute some 110 of these fragments into my own unified conception of 5 Odes, all from my pen, illustrative of her greatness. While some past poets, such as Swinburne, have attempted to "translate" some of Sappho's poetry, no other poet in history, so far as I can tell, has so painstakingly laboured as have I to bring them back to life in metre similar to that of her ancient Aeolic Greek. Still, some 70% of the verse you see here is my own original poetry imagined into being from the crucible of Sappho's fragments. " Index Odes I, The Night, II, Love and III, Symposium, The Feast were published in our prior issue |
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Ode IV, LIKE THE GREAT POETS (I)
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ODE V, THANATOS, YES, DEATH
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MANAGING EDITOR'S COMMENT: "In my capacity as the
Managing Editor of TEM, in my capacity, also, as the fine Artist who
made the Papacy a work of art in my book, This Eternal Hubbub, I am
calling with the united voice of all the Artists of all Time upon the
Roman Catholic Christian Church A] to fish Sappho out of her hiding
place in the Tora Bora of God's Heaven for us all to gaze on her, applaud
her, congratulate her and tell her just how well we admire such a great
Pagan … B] to pay Sappho money for damages in an international Court
of Human Rights for the unspeakable crime, the irreparable harm that
some fundamentalist factions among the first Christians, the direct
ancestors of the modern Roman Catholic Christians, committed against
this poor Lady by burning her oeuvre and by virtually, and so self-
righteously, committing what may well be termed her soul to the flames.
Just imagine: such an intelligent Primitive Artist who had none of our
modern comforts, no cookers, .no washing machines, no toilet and
sewage systems, no telephones, no radios, no modern Courts of Law nor
Copyright Law whereby to defend herself … her gorgeous poetry was
positively the proudest thing in her life as much as in the Life of her
primitive audience and the first Christians burnt it causing irreparable
harm to what may well be termed her Soul. What do the Christians take
us for? Do they think that God Himself does not care about the
beautiful Souls of such intelligent Primitive People who suffered things
which none of us are called upon to suffer in our modern sty of
Comfort? People who were positively blameless in not knowing God or
Jesus Christ? – and who, to become achievers such as Sappho was, did
not have the example of great ancestors to help them, unlike ourselves
who, to become achievers in our chosen field, have their example to
encourage and cheer us on? I am positively calling upon all modern
Roman Catholic Christians to compensate Sappho for the unbelievable
crime of their ancestors by paying her money for damages in an
International Court of Human Rights … poor great Lady!"
Joe M. Ruggier, Managing Editor of TEM, 6th October
2005
Managing Editor of TEM, in my capacity, also, as the fine Artist who
made the Papacy a work of art in my book, This Eternal Hubbub, I am
calling with the united voice of all the Artists of all Time upon the
Roman Catholic Christian Church A] to fish Sappho out of her hiding
place in the Tora Bora of God's Heaven for us all to gaze on her, applaud
her, congratulate her and tell her just how well we admire such a great
Pagan … B] to pay Sappho money for damages in an international Court
of Human Rights for the unspeakable crime, the irreparable harm that
some fundamentalist factions among the first Christians, the direct
ancestors of the modern Roman Catholic Christians, committed against
this poor Lady by burning her oeuvre and by virtually, and so self-
righteously, committing what may well be termed her soul to the flames.
Just imagine: such an intelligent Primitive Artist who had none of our
modern comforts, no cookers, .no washing machines, no toilet and
sewage systems, no telephones, no radios, no modern Courts of Law nor
Copyright Law whereby to defend herself … her gorgeous poetry was
positively the proudest thing in her life as much as in the Life of her
primitive audience and the first Christians burnt it causing irreparable
harm to what may well be termed her Soul. What do the Christians take
us for? Do they think that God Himself does not care about the
beautiful Souls of such intelligent Primitive People who suffered things
which none of us are called upon to suffer in our modern sty of
Comfort? People who were positively blameless in not knowing God or
Jesus Christ? – and who, to become achievers such as Sappho was, did
not have the example of great ancestors to help them, unlike ourselves
who, to become achievers in our chosen field, have their example to
encourage and cheer us on? I am positively calling upon all modern
Roman Catholic Christians to compensate Sappho for the unbelievable
crime of their ancestors by paying her money for damages in an
International Court of Human Rights … poor great Lady!"
Joe M. Ruggier, Managing Editor of TEM, 6th October
2005
