Sappho c. 625 B.C.E. Often called the "tenth muse", Sappho is the greatest lyrical poet of Western Civilization. She was a prolific writer, and her work was collected into nine books around the third century B.C.E. Unfortunately, her work was deemed obscene by the Church, and most of it was burned. Only a few hundred lines of her poetry remain. In her lifetime, she invented a 21-string lyre which she used to accompany herself when she sang her poems. She also founded a "thiasos", a society of women bound by religious and secular oaths. Her Sapphic stanza which consists of three long lines and one short one was greatly emulated by later poets such as Horace and Catullus. Sappho was born on the Greek island of Lesbos and married Cercylas. She had one daughter. Internet Gopher Information Client v1.12 Search gopherspace at PSINet: sappho Sappho --> 1. sappho.Anactoria 2. sappho.And_Their_Feet_Move 3. sappho.Awed_by_Her_Splendor 4. sappho.Blame_Aphrodite 5. sappho.Cleis 6. sappho.Cyprian,_in_My_Dream 7. sappho.Death 8. sappho.He_Is_More_Than_a_Hero 9. sappho.I_Have_No_Complaint 10. sappho.I_Took_My_Lyre 11. sappho.In_the_Spring_Twilight 12. sappho.It_Was_You,_Atthis 13. sappho.Leto_and_Niobe 14. sappho.No_Word 15. sappho.Of_Course_I_Love_You 16. sappho.Prayer_to_Our_Lady_of_Paphos 17. sappho.Sounds_of_Grief 18. sappho.Standing_By_My_Bed 19. sappho.Tell_Everyone 20. sappho.The_Muses 21. sappho.To_Aphrodite 22. sappho.To_an_Army_Wife 23. sappho.Tonight_I_Watched 24. sappho.We_Put_the_Urn_Aboard_Ship 25. sappho.We_Shall_Enjoy_It 26. sappho.With_His_Venom 27. sappho.Without_Warning 28. sappho.Words 29. sappho.You_May_Forget 1. sappho.Anactoria Yes, Atthis, you may be sure Even in Sardis Anactoria will think often of us of the life we shared here, when you seemed the Goddess incarnate to her and your singing pleased her best Now among Lydian women she in her turn stands first as the red- fingered moon rising at sunset takes precedence over stars around her; her light spreads equally on the salt sea and fields thick with bloom Delicious dew purs down to freshen roses, delicate thyme and blossoming sweet clover; she wanders aimlessly, thinking of gentle Atthis, her heart hanging heavy with longing in her little breast She shouts aloud, Come! we know it; thousand-eared night repeats that cry across the sea shining between us Sappho tr. Barnard 2. sappho.And_Their_Feet_Move And their feet move rhythmically, as tender feet of Cretan girls danced once around an altar of love, crushing a circle in the soft smooth flowering grass Sappho tr. Barnard 3. sappho.Awed_by_Her_Splendor Awed by her splendor stars near the lovely moon cover their own bright faces when she is roundest and lights earth with her silver Sappho tr. Barnard 4. sappho.Blame_Aphrodite It's no use Mother dear, I can't finish my weaving You may blame Aphrodite soft as she is she has almost killed me with love for that boy Sappho tr. Barnard 5. sappho.Cleis Sleep, darling I have a small daughter called Cleis, who is like a golden flower I wouldn't take all Croesus' kingdom with love thrown in, for her Don't ask me what to wear I have no embroidered headband from Sardis to give you, Cleis, such as I wore and my mother always said that in her day a purple ribbon looped in the hair was thought to be high style indeed but we were dark: a girl whose hair is yellower than torchlight should wear no headdress but fresh flowers Sappho tr. Barnard 6. sappho.Cyprian,_in_My_Dream Cyprian, in my dream the folds of a purple kerchief shadowed your cheeks -- the one Timas one time sent, a timid gift, all the way from Phocaea Sappho tr. Barnard 7. sappho.Death We know this much Death is an evil; we have the gods' word for it; they too would die if death were a good thing Sappho tr. Barnard 8. sappho.He_Is_More_Than_a_Hero He is more than a hero he is a god in my eyes-- the man who is allowed to sit beside you -- he who listens intimately to the sweet murmur of your voice, the enticing laughter that makes my own heart beat fast. If I meet you suddenly, I can' speak -- my tongue is broken; a thin flame runs under my skin; seeing nothing, hearing only my own ears drumming, I drip with sweat; trembling shakes my body and I turn paler than dry grass. At such times death isn't far from me Sappho tr. Barnard 9. sappho.I_Have_No_Complaint I have no complaint prosperity that the golden Muses gave me was no delusion: dead, I won't be forgotten 10. sappho.I_Took_My_Lyre I took my lyre and said: Come now, my heavenly tortoise shell: become a speaking instrument Sappho tr. Barnard 11. sappho.In_the_Spring_Twilight In the spring twilight the full moon is shining: Girls take their places as though around an altar Sappho tr. Barnard 12. sappho.It_Was_You,_Atthis It was you, Atthis, who said "Sappho, if you will not get up and let us look at you I shall never love you again! "Get up, unleash your suppleness, lift off your Chian nightdress and, like a lily leaning into "a spring, bathe in the water. Cleis is bringing your best pruple frock and the yellow "tunic down from the clothes chest; you will have a cloak thrown over you and flowers crowning your hair... "Praxinoa, my child, will you please roast nuts for our breakfast? One of the gods is being good to us: "today we are going at last into Mitylene, our favorite city, with Sappho, loveliest "of its women; she will walk among us like a mother with all her daughters around her "when she comes home from exile..." But you forget everything Sappho tr. Barnard 13. sappho.Leto_and_Niobe Before they were mothers Leto and Niobe had been the most devoted of friends Sappho tr. Barnard 14. sappho.No_Word I have had not one word from her Frankly I wish I were dead. When she left, she wept a great deal; she said to me, "This parting must be endured, Sappho. I go unwillingly." I said, "Go, and be happy but remember (you know well) whom you leave shackled by love "If you forget me, think of our gifts to Aphrodite and all the loveliness that we shared "all the violet tiaras, braided rosebuds, dill and crocus twined around your young neck "myrrh poured on your head and on soft mats girls with all that they most wished for beside them "while no voices chanted choruses without ours, no woodlot bloomed in spring without song..." Sappho tr. Barnard 15. sappho.Of_Course_I_Love_You Of course I love you but if you love me, marry a young woman! I couldn't stand it to live with a young man, I being older Sappho tr. Barnard 16. sappho.Prayer_to_Our_Lady_of_Paphos You know the place: then Leave Crete and come to us waiting where the grove is pleasantest, by precincts sacred to you; incense smokes on the altar, cold streams murmur through the apple branches, a young rose thicket shades the ground and quivering leaves pour down deep sleep; in meadows where horses have grown sleek among spring flowers, dill scents the air. Queen! Cyprian! Fill our gold cups with love stirred into clear nectar Sappho tr. Barnard 17. sappho.Sounds_of_Grief Must I remind you, Cleis, that sounds of grief are unbecmoming in a poet's household? and that they are not suitable in ours? Sappho tr. Barnard [Note: "A poet's household" is more litterally one "dedicated to the Muses."] 18. sappho.Standing_By_My_Bed Standing by my bed in gold sandals Dawn that very moment awoke me Sappho tr. Barnard 19. sappho.Tell_Everyone Tell everyone now, today, I shall sing beautifully for my friends' pleasure Sappho tr. Barnard 20. sappho.The_Muses It is the Muses who have caused me to be honred: they taught me their craft Sappho tr. Barnard 21. sappho.To_Aphrodite Dapple-throned Aphrodite, eternal daughterf God, snare-knitter! Don't, I beg you, cow my heart with grief! Come, as once when you heard my far- off cry and, listening, stepped from your father's house to your gold car, to yoke the pair whose beautiful thick-feathered wings oaring down mid-air from heaven carried you to light swiftly on dark earth; then, blissful one, smiling your immortal smile you asked, What ailed me now that me me call you again? What was it that my distracted heart most wanted? "Whom has Persuasion to bring round now "to your love? Who, Sappho, is unfair to you? For, let her run, she will soon run after; "if she won't accept gifts, she will one day give them; and if she won't love you -- she soon will "love, although unwillingly..." If ever -- come now! Relieve this intolerable pain! What my heart most hopes will happen, make happen; you your- self join forces on my side! Sappho tr. Barnard 22. sappho.To_an_Army_Wife To any army wife, in Sardis: Some say a cavalry corps, some infantry, some again, will maintain that the swift oars of our fleet are the finest sight on dark earth; but I say that whatever one loves, is. This is easily proved: did not Helen -- she who had scanned the flower of the world's manhood -- choose as first among men one who laid Troy's honor in ruin? warped to his will, forgetting love due her own blood, her own child, she wandered far with him. So Anactoria, although you being far away forget us, the dear sound of your footstep and light glancing in your eyes would move me more than glitter of Lydian horse or armored tread of mainland infantry Sappho tr. Barnard 23. sappho.Tonight_I_Watched Tonight I've watched the moon and then the Pleiades go down The night is now half-gone; youth goes; I am in bed alone Sappho tr. Barnard 24. sappho.We_Put_the_Urn_Aboard_Ship We put the urn aboard ship with this inscription: This is the dust of little Timas who unmarried was led into Persephone's dark bedroom And she being far from home, girls her age took new-edged blades to cut, in mourning for her, these curls of their soft hair Sappho tr. Barnard 25. sappho.We_Shall_Enjoy_It We shall enjoy it as for him who finds fault, may silliness and sorrow take him! Sappho tr. Barnard 26. sappho.With_His_Venom With his venom irresistible and bittersweet that loosener of limbs, Love reptile-like strikes me down Sappho tr. Barnard 27. sappho.Without_Warning Without warning as a whirlwind swoops on an oak Love shakes my heart Sappho tr. Barnard 28. sappho.Words Although they are only breath, words which I command are immortal Sappho tr. Barnard 29. sappho.You_May_Forget You may forget but let me tell you this: someone in some future time will think of us Sappho tr. Barnard *** Author: Green, Peter Title: The Laughter of Aphrodite: A Novel About Sappho of Lesbos. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1993. Pp.274. ISBN-0520079663. Reviewed by Joan DeJean (BMCR 4.3.28) Peter Green's novel belongs to a long tradition. Virtually from the time of her rediscovery by Renaissance Hellenists, Sappho has awakened in impressive numbers of European writers--scholars and novelists alike--the desire to create a novel from her life story. Or rather, since so little is known for certain about her, Sappho has inspired these writers to create a story for her. For three centuries, novelists have been doing just what Peter Green does here, taking all the shreds of information that have come down to us from antiquity about Sappho and weaving them into a narrative, thereby making a complete life story for the enigmatic Sappho of Lesbos. For the most part, novels about Sappho have been pure hack fiction, works intended above all to exploit the sensationalism surrounding Sappho, and especially the subject of lesbianism. Green's novel, on the other hand, is a serious work of fiction, an evocative and often moving vision of Sappho and her world. Green recreates, generally in great detail, life on Sappho's Lesbos, in particular the highly charged contemporary political context. He also devotes considerable attention to the island of Lesbos itself- -its landscapes, its sights, its smells. For all these reasons, this is a highly readable novel. I strongly disagree with Gore Vidal's opinion, quoted on the jacket, that it is "far superior" to Marguerite Yourcenar's Memoirs of Hadian, but the novel did consistently hold my attention. This is a real novel, and not a mere scholarly curiosity. However, I was not reading The Laughter of Aphrodite primarily with its literary merits in mind. I evaluated it above all as I have previous fictions of Sappho, that is, for the interpretation of Sappho and her sexuality that it promotes. From this perspective, this is a most surprising book, not at all a vision that could have been predicted either from recent speculation about Sappho or from the English tradition of Sappho scholarship in which Green was trained. Green states in an afterword, "On Sappho," that "for centuries, it has been favorite pastime, among scholars and others, to prove ... that Sappho could not have been a Lesbian, in the modern sense of that word." However, at least in the case of novels about Sappho, this has actually not been the recent trend. On the contrary--whether from a desire to promote lesbianism, moral outrage at what is presented as its depravity, or simple prurient fascination--from the late 19th century on, novels about Sappho have tended to focus on Sappho as lesbian--very much in the modern sense of the term. From the perspective of the tradition of fictions about Sappho, Green's novel is a throwback to an earlier age. (It is in fact literally something of a throwback, since it was first published in 1965 and is being reedited today.) It most resembles the 18th-century French novels in which seemingly every available male candidate for Sappho's affections--whether men mentioned in her poetry or men believed to have been her contemporaries--is made in some way a part of Sappho's affective life. Thus, in his most innovative suggestion, Green intimates that Sappho may have turned to women after Pittacus attempted to rape her. Green's version of Sappho inevitably builds up to a rather sleazy affair with Phaon the boatman, after whose betrayal she is about to commit suicide at the novel's end. This is not to say that Green's Sappho in any way rejects lesbianism. Atthis is portrayed as the great love of her young life; several other affairs with women are described, generally with considerable erotic relish. What is perhaps most surprising about Green's strategy is his insistence on the accuracy of his recreation of Sappho's life. True, this claim is justified to a certain extent: as Sappho's modern biographers have often done since the 17th century, Green weaves her fragments into her life, presenting them as her actual thoughts. However, despite the warnings of Hellenists such as Mary Lefkowitz, he revives the age-old dream that it is really possible to achieve something close to an absolute recreation of the life of an ancient poet. Witness this affirmation in his afterword: "I have done my best to put Sappho's life together in accordance with the evidence. ... Only when historical evidence fails have I invented incidents or characters" (276). However, the chronology of Sappho's life that follows contains such dubious entries as the year 569, identified as the date of Sappho's affair with Phaon of Mytilene. The year 594, identified as the date of Sappho's marriage to Cercylas of Andros, is marked only with a question mark, the sign Green uses for what he terms a "reasoned guess." I have nothing against fictions of Sappho--on the contrary, I delight in the ability of those who imagine them constantly to reshuffle the small store of ancient rumors and the far smaller number of actual facts and to create new visions of Sappho in the image of the fantasies and the phobias of different periods and different national traditions. However, I am still waiting for a fiction tailored to our postmodern age--a fiction more playfully indeterminate, more truly Sapphic in spirit. Joan DeJean University of Pennsylvania *** 3.2.5, *Games of Venus. An Anthology of Greek and Roman Erotic Verse from Sappho to Ovid* Introduced, Translated, and Annotated by Peter Bing and Rip Cohen, Routledge: New York and London, 1991, ISBN 0-415-90260-6 Rev. by J. Clauss In response to the lack of a collection of poetry suitable for "courses on traditions of erotic poetry" (vii), Peter Bing and Rip Cohen have assembled a wide ranging sample of verse beginning not with Sappho, as the subtitle avers, but from Archilochus and extending to Ovid. What connects the poems is, of course, Venus. The editors preface the collection with an introductory essay in which they discuss the sociological and literary background of Greek and Roman erotic verse. The poems and fragments of poems follow. On the Greek side, the editors include selections from the extant works of Archilochus, Alkman, Mimnermos, Sappho, Ibycus, Anacreon, Theognis, and Hipponax (Archaic); Pindar, Bacchylides, Miscellaneous Lyric and Inscriptions (Classical); Hermesianax, Asclepiades, Callimachus, Theocritus, Herodas, Machon, Meleager, as well as the Grenfell Papyrus (Powell 177-179), the Anonymous song from Marisa (Powell 184) and a few miscellaneous epigrams (Alexandrian); the spellings are those of the editors. On the Roman side, there are selections from Catullus, Vergil, Horace, Tibullus, Propertius, Ovid, and a poem by Sulpicia. The book concludes with suggestions for further reading. The authors divide the introduction into three parts: the first deals with sexual practices among the Greeks; the second, with sexual practices among the Romans; in the third they offer suggestions on how to read ancient texts that take up erotic themes. What one encounters in the first two parts is a distillation of the prevailing views on Greek and Roman attitudes toward sex. In Greece, we are told, adult men by and large did not express erotic feelings toward their wives but toward hetairai and adolescent boys; the thoroughly Hellenized Romans imitated Greek attitudes, a significant difference between Greeks and Romans being the greater freedom accorded to Roman women. The editors make it clear, however, that the Greek and Roman poetry in their collection reflects for the most part the views of men of the upper classes (p. 11). In the third section of the introduction, Bing and Cohen provide useful advice to the novice on how to read "the utterances of the ancient erotic poets" (19). Before turning to this advice, I would point out that the designation of "erotic poets" as a category is somewhat misleading. For instance, someone unfamiliar with these writers would look at the Table of Contents and conclude that Pindar and Bacchylides were erotic poets. Erotic poetry would comprise at best a subset of several different genres (erotic elegies, erotic iambs, erotic epyllia or erotic sections of epics, erotic lyrics, etc.). But I quibble. By examining several Theognidean elegies as well as Catullus 11, Vergil Ec. 10, Horace C. 1.5, Tibullus 1.8, Propertius 3.6, Ovid Am. 3.7, and finally Archilochus P. Colon. 7511, the editors instruct the reader on how to see behind the "speech-action" explicitly or implicitly expressed in the poem (p. 20). In essence, they point out that many poems on erotic themes defy immediate comprehension because the reader, overhearing only a portion of a monologue or dialogue, must read in between the lines in order to figure out the subtext --personal or literary -- of the situation that he/she breaks in on. A good example of this difficulty is Tibullus 1.8. The elegist, in admonishing Pholoe to give in to Marathus, is really trying to seduce his young boy friend indirectly (p. 41). The inexperienced reader desperately needs such instruction prior to reading much of the verse contained in this anthology, and Bing and Cohen are to be commended for supplying it. Yet, although the lengthy and systematic introduction is helpful, it may prove confusing or unintelligible at times to its targeted audience. For example, the editors equate what they call "speech-action" with Aristotelian praxis (p. 20 and n. 36). Few of the situations in the poems presented here, however, constitute a praxis in the Aristotelian sense of the word. The collection for the most part contains vignettes, poignant moments, expressions of temporary despair or angry abuse -- not praxeis complete with beginning, middle, and end. On a different note, the poems are often referred to in ways familiar only to a specialist (e.g., directing the reader to what they call "boy, be nice" speeches in the Theognidean corpus, the editors write: "The seven poems are: 1235-1238, 1295-1298, 1299-1304, 1305-1310, 1319-1322, 1327-1334, 1365-1366" [p. 22]). It would have been better had they created their own system of references and buried unfamiliar scholarly identifications in notes or in parentheses. Similarly, many of the notes in the introduction, as well as in the main text, are addressed to a more advanced audience (e.g., "Cf. Vetta, ad loc."; "But there is a textual problem in this line, cf. Page, Sappho and Alcaeus, ad loc."; "Cf. Callimachus' palin oikhetai in Epig. 41.3 (Pf.)"). This uncertainty of audience also affects their style of presentation. In their attempt to reach the college undergraduate they employ such colloquial expressions as "in the Theognis" (p. 26 and passim) and "in the Horace" (p. 32); their exegesis of Catullus 11 begins "The situation is apparently this ..." (cf. ad Ovid, Amores 3.7: "Here's the story ..."; ad Vergil Ec. 10 they conclude "We leave it to the reader to wrestle with the details"; ad Archilochus, P. Colon. 7511 they state "Let's backtrack for a moment"); at the same time, however, they quote Latin verse without translating and refer to articles and books in German. Their choice of an informal style may be responsible for the rather unappealing sentence "Further into the generic murk we encounter Theognis 1263-1266." I noted only a few inconsistencies or errors in the introduction; e.g., the plural of hetaira is given both as "hetairas" (p. 12) and "hetairai" (p. 18); the "First Book" of Theognis (29) is also called "Book One" (p. 30), a confusion which continues in the text (cf. pp. 93 and 105); Ad Catullus 11 they state "Because, as we know from many classical sources, exile was a regular and recommended way of getting over a failed love affair" (p. 37). Clearly the editors mean "foreign travel," and not "exile" which for a Roman was not a particularly desirable option under any condition. In their "Note on the Translation" (xi), the editors specify three goals sought in their translations: 1) to make them compelling and vigorous in English in order to engage and delight the reader; 2) to stay close to the spirit and the letter of the original; and 3) retain the structure, line-division, and diction of the original. Moreover, they have prefaced the selections of each poet with a brief and helpful introduction (dates, place of birth, relevant information on their lives and works), supplemented with the occasional reference to further discussion in the secondary literature. In general, I would say that the translators have fullfilled their first and third goals admirably; it is in their second goal that I find that they have often missed the mark. I cite a few of the problems that I encountered while reading the book. Anacreon Elegy 2 W (p. 87): Bing and Cohen translate *ou philew hos . . . all' hostis* as "I do not kiss the guy who ... but the one who..." While in their note (pp. 87-88, n. 1) they make it clear that scholars usually translate filv in its more neutral sense of "like," they suggest that in this instance the verb carries its secondary meaning of "kiss." They offer as their rationale the following: "We feel, however, that the Greek, ou phileo, hos ..., can sustain the more erotic translation we have given it. If we are correct, this may be one of the rare instances in which we hear the voice of the eromenos ..." Although *philew* can mean "kiss," I do not think that it carries that meaning here for two reasons: 1) *philew* in its secondary sense among Archaic and Classical writers is often accompanied by some other word or words (especially the part kissed, e.g., *twi stomati*) which makes the sense clear (e.g., Hdt. 1.134, Aesch. A. 1559, Soph. OC 1131); and 2) two parallels, both dealing with the rejection of certain military types, come to mind which suggest that Anacreon's statement should be read as kind of a mini-priamel ("I do not like x, but y"): Archilochus 114 W (*ou philew megan strathgon . . . alla moi smikros tis*) and [Euripides] Rhesus 132 ff. (*sphalera d' ou philw strathgwn krath. ti gar ameinon h ...*). Moreover, the osculatory recusatio the translators suggest seems somewhat flaccid. The translation of Theognis 1353-56 (p. 101) does not capture, to my ear, the tone of the original couplet: "'cause if you get, it gets sweet; but if you pursue / and don't get, it's the painfullest thing of all." Aside from the overly informal cast of the sentence, the superlative "painfullest," though found in archaic English usage, would be deemed today, I suspect, winsome or affected. Neither tone, however, suits *pantwn tout' anihrotaton*, the very same phrase which Tyrtaeus employed in a somber poem on the glories of dying for the fatherland (Tyrtaeus 4.10 W). Even if Theognis wanted his reader to recall the earlier poem in order to invert the militaristic sentiment, the serious tone of the Tyrtaean passage would accompany its later literary incarnation. The editors' suggestion that the phrase under consideration might be "an early reference to 'blue balls'" (p. 101, n. 5) does not convince. I also question the translation of Callimachus Ep. 25.5 Pf (p. 135) *nun d' ho men arsenikwi theretai puri* which they render "For now he's flaming with homoerotic fire." The adjective *arsenikos* in no way connotes sexual orientation. Callimachus simply states that Callignotus has left Ionis because he fell in love with a man. Given the acceptance of bisexuality among Callimachus' audience, *arsenikos* would not call attention to itself in the same way that "homoerotic" does. I would find it equally odd if a woman were the subjext of *theretai* and someone were to translate this phrase "for now she was burning with heterosexual fire." Among the translations of the Roman poets I observed here and there similar problems of tonal inconcinnity between the original and the translation. For example, the translation of reflagitare in Catullus 42.6 and 10 as "reflagitate," a word they coin for this poem (see the note ad loc.), in one sense neatly parallels the rarity of the Latin verb which occurs only here. The verb in Latin, however, does not sound as strange and forbidding as "reflagitate" in English. The meaning of the apparent neologism in Latin is immediately clear; the English analogue requires comment. Even more discordant is the translation of Tibullus 1.8.3: "It's not that I've got lots, or guts that know about the gods" (nec mihi sunt sortes nec conscia fibra deorum). Aside from confusing the reader unfamiliar with Roman haruspical lore (the translation prompts the question, lots of what?), the translation is much too colloquial for what is after all technical language. Parce, precor, tenero in the same poem (line 51) is rendered "But please, go easy on the kid." The secretion hippomanes in 2.4 is described as that which "drips from a hot mare's cunt" (stillat ab inguine equae). Adams (The Latin Sexual Vocabulary [Baltimore 1982] 47) cites inguen as an example of a word without sexual significance that replaces a more explicit word. "Cunt" then adds a harshness and vulgarity not at all present in the original. Translations such as these do not evoke, to my ear at least, the qualities that characterize Tibullus and his verse -- tersus atque elegans. In general, translations such as "Come on, pal" (Theocritus 1.62), "Give me what you offered, pops" (Machon 17.14 [Gow]), "No way, you wimp" (ibid. 68), "O lover's friend, buzz off" (Meleager GP 50.5-6), and "That gets me off" (Ovid Am. 2.19) are not in keeping with the formal syntax and vocabulary of high, aristocratic Greek and Roman poetry. I was prepared at first to say nothing about the selections since the choice of what to include in any anthology, and especially a heterogeneous collection such as this, is personal and rarely attains universal approval. Moreover, I happen to like the editors' choice of texts. Still, there is one poem I miss very much, especially given the title of the book; namely, the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite celebrating the naughty game played on Aphrodite by Zeus whereby she fell desperately -- or at least temporarily desperately -- in love with Anchises and thereafter engaged in her own amorous game. The restraint shown by the archaic poet in describing the seduction and prelude to love-making sets this among the most erotic scenes to survive classical antiquity. I prefer to end on a more positive note and acknowledge my appreciation and enjoyment of the translators' occasional witty turns of phrase, three of which I cite by way of conclusion: CEG 400 (p. 123), an inscription on a phallus-shaped stone, reads "I'm thrilled to be the staff (literally "servant") of the goddess, holy Aphrodite; may Kypris return the favor to those who have erected me." Hermesianax 7.47-48 Powell (p. 127): "You know how often Lesbian Alkaios went reveling, harping on (*phormizwn*) his lusty yen for Sappho." Callimachus Ep. 28.5-6 Pf (p. 136): "But you, Lysanias, -- oh, brother! -- you're handsome, handsome -- but before the words / are out, an echo says 'Another has his hands on him'." James J. Clauss University of Washington