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I wanted to hear
Sappho’s laughter
and the speech of
her stringed shell.
What I heard was
whiskered mumble-
ment of grammarians:
Greek pterodactyls
and Victorian dodos.

— Mary Barnard

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More quotes by Mary Barnard

Like a hyacinth in
the mountains, trampled
by shepherds until
only a purple stain
remains on the ground.

Sappho: A New Translation (1958)

Hesperus, you herd
homeward whatever
Dawn’s light dispersed
You herd sheep—herd
goats—herd children
home to their mothers.

Sappho: A New Translation (1958)

"Prayer to my lady of Paphos" [Fr. 1 Voigt]

Sappho: A New Translation (1958)

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.

Sappho: A New Translation (1958)

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Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Mary Barnard (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.