* * * * *
[Greek: SAPPHÔ]
[Illustration]
L. Alma Tadema J. Cother Webb
pinxt. fec.
MEMOIR, TEXT, SELECTED
RENDERINGS, AND A
LITERAL TRANSLATION BY
HENRY THORNTON WHARTON
M.A. OXON
LONDON: JOHN LANE · THE
BODLEY HEAD · NEW YORK:
JOHN LANE COMPANY · 1908
[Greek: Panta kathara tois katharois.]
_First Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Pp._ xii+190.
_One Illustration. David Stott._ 1885.
_Second Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Pp._ xvi+213.
_Two Illustrations, David Stott._ 1887.
_Third Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Pp._ xx+217.
_Three Illustrations, John Lane._ 1895.
_Fourth Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Pp._ xx+222.
_Three Illustrations and Memoir of Mr.
Wharton._ _John Lane._ 1898.
_Fifth Edition. Fcap. 8vo. Pp._ xxxii+217.
_Three Illustrations and Memoir of Mr.
Wharton._ _John Lane._ 1908.
Printed by BALLANTYNE & CO. LIMITED
Tavistock Street, London
I would fain have enriched this edition of my _Sappho_ with some new words
of the poetess, if only even to the slight extent which I reached in 1887;
but, to the world's sorrow, that pleasure has been denied me. Still, we
need not yet give up all hope, after the unexpected discovery of the
unknown _Mimiambi_ of Herondas, on a papyrus-roll used to stuff an Egyptian
mummy-case, so few years ago (cf. _The Academy_, Oct. 11, 1890).
Neverthless, I can now present to the lovers of Sappho a good deal more
than was heretofore in my power; in a new form, it is true, but with the
same beautiful Greek type. And with this third edition I am enabled to give
a reproduction, in photogravure, of the charming picture of Mitylene by the
late Mr. Clarkson Stanfield, R.A., for which I am primarily indebted to Dr.
R. Garnett, of the British Museum.
Since it was my privilege, if I may say so without arrogance, to introduce
Sappho to English readers in the year 1885, in a form which they could
understand, whether they knew any Greek or none, and in the entirety of
every known word of hers, there has arisen a mass of literature upon the
subject of the greatest lyrist of all time. To enumerate the pictures that
have been painted, the articles and books and plays that have been written,
which have appealed to the public in the last ten years, would be an almost
impossible task. In my _Bibliography_ I have endeavoured to give a
reference to all that is of prominent and permanent interest, ranging from
'the postman poet,' Mr. Hosken, to the felicitous paraphrases--some
fractions of which I have taken the liberty to quote in the text--of
'Michael Field' in her _Long Ago_.
The translation of the Hymn to Aphrodite, which was made for me by the late
J. Addington Symonds, now appears in the amended form in which he finally
printed it. Professor Palgrave has kindly allowed me to include some
versions of his, made many years ago. The late Sir R. F. Burton made a
metrical translation of Catullus, which has recently been published, and I
am grateful to Lady Burton for allowing me to reprint his version of the
Roman poet's Ode to Lesbia.