Cut These Words into My Stone

Ancient Greek Epitaphs

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Ancient & Classical, Poetry, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Cut These Words into My Stone by , Johns Hopkins University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: ISBN: 9781421408057
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press Publication: January 31, 2013
Imprint: Language: English
Author:
ISBN: 9781421408057
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Publication: January 31, 2013
Imprint:
Language: English

Cut These Words into My Stone offers evidence that ancient Greek life was not only celebrated in great heroic epics, but was also commemorated in hundreds of artfully composed verse epitaphs. They have been preserved in anthologies and gleaned from weathered headstones.

Three-year-old Archianax, playing near a well,
Was drawn down by his own silent reflection.

His mother, afraid he had no breath left,
Hauled him back up wringing wet. He had a little.

He didn't taint the nymphs' deep home.
He dozed off in her lap. He's sleeping still.

These words, translated from the original Greek by poet and filmmaker Michael Wolfe, mark the passing of a child who died roughly 2,000 years ago. Ancient Greek epitaphs honor the lives, and often describe the deaths, of a rich cross section of Greek society, including people of all ages and classes— paupers, fishermen, tyrants, virgins, drunks, foot soldiers, generals—and some non-people—horses, dolphins, and insects. With brief commentary and notes, this bilingual collection of 127 short, witty, and often tender epigrams spans 1,000 years of the written word.

Cut These Words into My Stone provides an engaging introduction to this corner of classical literature that continues to speak eloquently in our time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Cut These Words into My Stone offers evidence that ancient Greek life was not only celebrated in great heroic epics, but was also commemorated in hundreds of artfully composed verse epitaphs. They have been preserved in anthologies and gleaned from weathered headstones.

Three-year-old Archianax, playing near a well,
Was drawn down by his own silent reflection.

His mother, afraid he had no breath left,
Hauled him back up wringing wet. He had a little.

He didn't taint the nymphs' deep home.
He dozed off in her lap. He's sleeping still.

These words, translated from the original Greek by poet and filmmaker Michael Wolfe, mark the passing of a child who died roughly 2,000 years ago. Ancient Greek epitaphs honor the lives, and often describe the deaths, of a rich cross section of Greek society, including people of all ages and classes— paupers, fishermen, tyrants, virgins, drunks, foot soldiers, generals—and some non-people—horses, dolphins, and insects. With brief commentary and notes, this bilingual collection of 127 short, witty, and often tender epigrams spans 1,000 years of the written word.

Cut These Words into My Stone provides an engaging introduction to this corner of classical literature that continues to speak eloquently in our time.

More books from Johns Hopkins University Press

Cover of the book Psychology Comes to Harlem by
Cover of the book Embezzlement and High Treason in Louis XIV's France by
Cover of the book Insects by
Cover of the book Transylvanian Dinosaurs by
Cover of the book Health and Humanity by
Cover of the book Burdens of War by
Cover of the book The Breast Reconstruction Guidebook by
Cover of the book Life in the Dark by
Cover of the book Eating Disorders by
Cover of the book On Middle Ground by
Cover of the book The History of the London Water Industry, 1580–1820 by
Cover of the book Field Guide to the Street Trees of New York City by
Cover of the book The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles by
Cover of the book Peripheral Neuropathy by
Cover of the book The Telegraph in America, 1832–1920 by
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy