#josephine balmer

[petaltexturedskies]

Sappho, from Sappho: Poems & Fragments (tr. Josephine Balmer)

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

I'm sorry but "Sappho wannabe" is the BEST first impression I've had of anyone ever

Thanks! And is 100% true.

I’m obsessed with her, she’s actually my favorite writer.

[slips-of-sappho]

Fragment 31

Sappho, from ‘Poems & Fragments’, tr. Josephine Balmer

[eldrbenway]

"In sleep, she looked at me through her soul's clear eyes" – Sappho (Poems and Fragments, translated by Josephine Balmer).

Mahiro Tadai's beauty radiates like a soft, eternal flame. Her elegance captivates—want to see more images of her? ❤️✨💫

[beebooks]

which translation do i prefer though? hard to say still. to begin with, and i believe i've expressed this before, i didn't always see the point in including the originals alongside the translation in if not winter, but having read some more now, i kinda get it. the choice to leave in space where there is text missing i've also grown a bit more fond of. at times, yes, it felt like a pretentious annoyance, but without it i'm left wondering where the translator has added and shuffled things to make the poem read more coherent and to cover over what is gone

mary barnard's translation takes the path of making "completed" poems out of every fragment she includes, but when i know the fragments are rarely that complete it makes me wonder where the gaps that have been covered over are

josephine balmer strikes a bit of a middle ground by having the poems read more naturally and complete than a lot of anne carson's while putting her "additions" or conjectures in brackets so the reader knows what is actually present in the fragments and what is the author taking poetic liberties

alll comes down to what the various translators aim to do and what the readers want. anne carson has included all fragments, even if all you can make out is a single word, while the other two have chosen to include more complete fragments and quotes and then tried to capture the essence and intentions of sappho in how they format the poems

each to their own, and there's certainly a lot to gain from the different translations

[abearbutch]

i finished my reading goal/new years resolution!! i wanted to read 12 books (around a book a month) bc i hadn’t been reading enough since finishing my degree…

here’s all the books i read for 2024!

If Beale Street Could Talk - James Baldwin (May)

Finn Family Moomintroll - Tove Jansson (May)

Giovanni’s Room - James Baldwin (May)

Rubyfruit Jungle - Rita Mae Brown (June)

Tell The Wolves I’m Home - Carol Rifka Brunt (June)

Brokeback Mountain - Annie Proulx (July)

The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller (September)

Circe - Madeline Miller (September)

The Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka (October)

Galatea - Madeline Miller (December)

Sappho Poems & Fragments - Josephine Balmer translation (December)

Aesychlus: The Oresteia - Hugh Lloyd-Jones translation (December)

[the-sinking-garden]

late night thinking

sappho, josephine balmer translation // the pond-moonlight by edward steichen // genius lyric descriptions of last words of a shooting star by mitski // myself // myself // angela lane // fiona apple // u/eliteguardian16 // aphrodite made me do it by trista mateer

[mylittleliterarycorner]

Love shook my heart like the wind on the mountain rushing over the oak trees Beautiful women, my feelings for you will never falter I tell you: in time to come, someone will remember us.

Sappho, c600 BC Taken from Sappho’s Poems and Fragments (trans Josephine Balmer. London, Brilliance Books 1984).

[eclectichellhole]

Read fragments of Erinna's Distaff translated by Josephine Balmer and I need to go lay down. 2000 year old poem written by a teenager and I cannot emotionally handle it

[softromanticwanderer]

Instagram: alaswrites

[rmscarpathia]

SAPPHO FRAGMENT 130 TRANSLATIONS COMPILATION: 1) Original / 2) Josephine Balmer / 3) Jim Powell / 4) Julia Dubnoff / 5) A.S. Kline / 6) Andrew M. Miller / 7) Reddit Commenter / 8) Gillian Spraggs / 9) Diane J. Rayor / 10) Anne Carson

[petaltexturedskies]

(I was dreaming of you but) just then Dawn, in her golden sandals (woke me)

Sappho, from Sappho: Poems & Fragments (tr. by Josephine Balmer)

[lifeinpoetry]

What do you

want of me when you cruelly tear me apart, when you shake me with desire that saps the strength from my limbs …?

       … I wish you… … might suffer this [torment too] …                                            … I myself know it [to be true] ….

— Sappho, from #122 (”Cypris Song”), tr. Josephine Balmer, Poems & Fragments: new expanded edition

[mythologer]

FORGET GREEK POETS:

PRAXIL (Praxilla)

He was a Greek poet from the 5th century BC. In Sion or Sione in the Peloponnese. He composed short lyric poems 'skolia' (σκόλι ον) sung at ancient Greek banquets; author of hymns and ditiramos (lyrical compositions dedicated to Dionysus). It is known that classical myths have their own versions and their measurements are original. I would invent the typewriter metro: praxilium.

For political reasons, the Dionysian rites and tragic choir performances and ditiramos were moved to the city of Praxila in the 6th century BC, where one of the largest theaters in Ancient Greece was located. Its ruins can be visited even today. Legend has it that this theater is evidence of the birth of tragedy. Inside was a bronze statue of Praxila, carved by Lisipo, also natural from Sion. There is a marble copy in the Berlin Museum, but without the head. His head is cut off, just like his poems and hymns...

We know that he was known and famous for the statements of writers like Aristophanes in his time, he was quoted twice in his works "Aspas" and "Tesmoforias", so the public knew him. But he is remembered by his contemporaries not for the theater, but for what some consider his stupidity or stupidity. There is a fragment of 3 verses quoted by philologists and historians. Part of his answer when asked what is the most beautiful thing God has left, named "Adonis in the Underworld". Then the late Adonis answers:

"The most beloved thing I have left is sunshine,

then bright stars and moon face

and ripe cucumbers and apples and pears."

Praxila's reputation was in question. There was so much truth in the reading of time. Don't confuse cucumbers with stars, in poetry or thought. That's why it became synonymous with the word stupid and tasteless, Zenobio's words, "more stupid than Praxila's Adonis."

According to Josephine Balmer, in Classical Female Poets, "a cucumber can be considered a perfect symbol of the male fertility god." Adonis was an ancient nature god, so he was connected to the plant world.

Centuries later, Antipater of Thessaloniki repaired the damage done to Praxila, as he was declared one of the 9 earthly muses.

Text: Marian A. Alastruey

[mrepstein]

Colin Borland’s 1961 handwritten notes: Dec 1st: Lunch with Brian Epstein.

Epstein’s December 1 meeting with Decca Records’ Colin Borland (pictured below) and Sidney Beecher-Stevens kickstarted a chain of events which secured the Beatles an audition with the label.

December 1961 was a heady, frantic month. Juggling the signing of the Beatles with his EMI and Decca visits, while coping with the record shops and his puzzled father, Brian sprinted ahead looking for record company interest even before the Beatles had fully committed themselves to him; such was the ardour of his belief in them. At Decca, Brian had excellent relationships with two executives; Arthur Kelland, the regional sales manager based in Leeds, and Colin Borland, assistant to Sidney Beecher-Stevens, the London marketing chief. Again using his influence as a retailer, he phoned both men to say that the Beatles from Liverpool could be their British ‘answer’ to American pop dominance of the best-selling charts. He asked Arthur Kelland to arrange him an appointment in London to negotiate extra discounts for the records his shop bought from Decca. Provocatively Brian said he thought other dealers might be getting preferential treatment. This was untrue, but Kelland politely referred him to Colin Borland in head office.

On regular visits to Liverpool Borland had been impressed by Epstein’s enthusiasm and candidness: ‘I’m a failed actor and I’ve got to get the shops moving well.’ The Decca men thought him ‘too nice’ for the rough and tumble of retailing, but like the entire industry they admired his techniques; and his rising sales graph made beautiful reading. Brian had delegated many decisions to his shop manageress, Josephine Balmer; but he earned Borland’s respect by often telephoning him in London to ask precise reasons for Decca’s pressure on him to display promotional material on certain artists. ‘Why should I give you my window display? Are you going to do a big advertising campaign? He always wanted to ensure that he would reap a benefit from helping them.

And Borland always found Epstein convivial company. Unlike many provincial shop managers, Brian never opted for the most expensive restaurants when Borland visited Liverpool. He was happy with a simple trattoria. It was a fine example of his integrity, for it showed that Brian was not a grasper. Borland suggested lunch to discuss the request for discounts.

To his surprise and that of Beecher-Stevens, Brian arrived at their London office on 1 December 1961 and immediately dismissed the topic of discounts. That, he implied, was merely an excuse to get a chance to discuss something infinitely more important. It was the same tactic he had used with Ron White at EMI. ‘What I’m really interested in is getting records made by a group I’m managing.’ He produced a copy of the Liverpool pop paper, Mersey Beat, which featured a picture of the Beatles. ‘We were well aware,’ says Borland, ‘that this was the most important thing that had happened to him for a very long time.’

Epstein’s first proposal was revolutionary, and showed a visionary commercial streak that was unlike anything happening in the pop record business in 1961. He wanted Decca to make a record that would be exclusively licensed to him, perhaps on something called NEMS records. Borland said this would be difficult. If Decca recorded the Beatles, then as a major trading company they would have to make their records available to the whole retail trade. Brian said he was prepared to make it viable personally by buying 5,000 copies. Even with a discount, that would have cost him £1,050, an astronomically high figure in 1961 but an indication of his unshakeable confidence. Conceding that the record would have to go on general sale, he added: ‘All right, if I’m giving you this nice big offer, I want the records first and I want to be allowed to sell them where the Beatles are appearing.’ It was, says Borland, a big gamble which Epstein was prepared to take to demonstrate his enthusiasm.

To any record company, Epstein’s offer would have been very attractive. A guaranteed sale of 5,000 would be a flying start: some singles did not get that many pressed as an advance, or sell that number in total. Next Brian played Borland and Beecher-Stevens the Polydor single “My Bonnie.” Listen to the backing group, Brian urged them. Like Ron White at EMI, the executives found it hard to isolate them from the vocalist.

Still, Brian’s offer of 5,000 sales was music to the ears of salesmen. Borland lifted the phone to Dick Rowe, the company’s head of artists and repertoire. This resulted in another lunch, a few days later, in Decca’s senior executive club on Albert Embankment. Rowe joined them at the coffee stage. Well aware of Epstein’s status, he listened to his enthusiasm and said he would start wheels moving. He delegated the next step to his young A & R assistant Mike Smith, who confirmed to Brian that he would travel to the Cavern to judge the Beatles’ potential. It was a triumphant breakthrough - a London record executive on his way to Liverpool! Brian could scarcely wait to return home to break the news to the Beatles, who were equally excited.

- The Man Who Made the Beatles by Ray Coleman

[After seeing the Beatles at the Cavern, Mike Smith offered them a London audition. The ill-fated audition took place on New Year’s Day, 1962.]

[beebooks]

mary barnard's translation not including the lobel & page fragment numbering is very annoying to me because it makes it hard to look up the poems to compare with the other books, so i'm happy josephine balmer included a key