I didn’t get much time to read over the weekend. It is amazing how fast time flies when it is filled with homework, chores and errands and a leisurely breakfast out with friends on a Sunday morning. No time to read for myself until last night and then only about half an hour. Sigh.

Because I simply don’t have enough books on the go I started a new one. If Not, Winter. This is a book of Sappho poems translated by Anne Carson. I’ve read some Sappho before but never felt one way or the other about it. But last night I was mesmerized. I think it has to do with how Carson has chosen to format the poem fragments. Instead of trying to make up for the missing pieces she inserts left and right square brackets into the text to indicate missing or unclear words and phrases.

On the left facing page is the Greek which I can’t even begin to decipher but is very beautiful to look at. On the right facing page is the English translation. Some of the fragments are more complete than others so you can get whole stanza, sometimes two before pieces go missing. I’ll save talking about those for another time for they are gorgeous.

What I found so mesmerizing was the fragments with lots of brackets. They read like an impressionist painting in words but the painting is incomplete so the dots and daubs of color/ words can’t quite give an impression of the whole but is intriguing nonetheless for what it is and what it could be.

For instance, this is fragment 21 in the book:

]
]
] pity
] trembling
]
] flesh by now old age
] covers
] flies in pursuit
] noble
] taking
] sing to us
the one with violets in her lap
] mostly
] goes astray

Don’t you wish we had the whole poem?

Or what about this one:

] heart
] absolutely
] I can
]
] would be for me
] to shine in answer
] face
]
] having been stained
]

Can you see why these are so mesmerizing?

It is easy to rush through them. I had to keep reminding myself to slow down. I think I am going to have to parcel them out a few at a time to allow for maximum enjoyment.

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