Women Of Words 02 - Nossis Of Locri Poem by Unnikrishnan Sivasankara Menon
Women Of Words 02 - Nossis Of Locri
Nossis of Locri
A Hellenistic Greek poet
Wrote lovely epigrams
Inspired by Sappho.
A contemporary of
Anyte of Tegea
She lived during
The Fourth century B.C.
What have been preserved
Of her poems numerous
Are just twelve epigrams
But they are real gems.
Antipater of Thessalonica, a poet
Who lived three centuries later
Has put Nossis amongst
The most famous poets.
He writes, 'Nossis, the poet,
By the soothing female voice
And the sweet song of Myrtis,
Is the author of immortal texts.'
Meleager of Gadara names
Nossis as a love poet, as she wrote,
'Nothing is sweeter than Love;
Every other joy is second to it.'
'Whomever Kypris has not kissed,
Does not understand her flowers,
what kinds of things roses are.'
Her verses constitute supreme poetry.
'Having therewith woven the fresh
and sweet-scented iris of Nossis,
the wax for whose writing-tablets
Eros himself spread.' quoth he.
These words confirm, there existed
A much larger collection of poems
By Nossis, that are dedicated to love
Than that are preserved to reach us.
2. Sappho: Sappho Aeolic Greek was an Archaic Greek woman poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sappho was widely regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets
3. Antipater: Antipater of Thessalonica was a Greek epigrammatist of the Roman period.
1. The word "Hellenistic" comes from the word Hellazein, which means "to speak Greek or identify with the Greeks." The term Hellenistic Poetry refers to literature composed in verse between the death of Alexander the Great and the battle of Actium (323-31 BCE) .
7. Kypris: According to legend, Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty, rose from the ocean's foaming and frothy waters just off the coast of Cyprus. The people of this treasured island venerated her so greatly they gave her another name in honor of their home, Kypris
6. Meleager: Meleager of Gadara (1st century BC) was a poet and collector of epigrams. He wrote some satirical prose, now lost, and some sensual poetry, of which 134 epigrams survive.
I had posted a rejoinder to LeeAnn. But it fails to appear…. Ph has become difficult …
5. Myrtis: Myrtis of Anthedon (6th century BC) was an ancient Greek poet and is purported to be the teacher of Pindar of Thebes and Corinna of Tanagra. Scholars believe that she was the earliest in the line of lyric poets who emerged from Anthedon in the district of Boeotia which adjoins Attica.
4. Anyte of Tegea: Anyte of Tegea was a Hellenistic poet from Tegea in Arcadia. She is one of the nine outstanding ancient women poets listed by Antipater of Thessalonica in the Palatine Anthology. Anyte was known for her epigrams, and she introduced rural themes to the genre.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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5/12/2024 12:33:28 AM # 1.0.0.1119
a joy to read Bravo! Bravo!
I feel happy that at least one woman poet identified herself with the great poet Nossis