Send me Minerva the light, even dim,
Even if the first flame,
The stone that in pre-history
Pressed against the rawness of another
Stone
Made fire: but not that fire,
The flame of wisdom give me
That I may in these days be indifferent
To the black Winter haunting me.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
This is another prayer-poem addressed to the gracious goddess Athena. Unlike the variations on Prometheus and his cosmic role, this seems to be a purely personal situation in which an individual seeks a solution to his probably psychological crisis, That's how I interpret the image of BLACK WINTER HAUNTING him. The FLAME OF WISDOM he requests will be still bright and triumphant but the victory is on a much smaller scale. The important point is the speaker's humility and subsequent gratitude to Athena.