Xenophanes

Xenophanes Poems

Xenophanes Biography

Xenophanes of Colophon ( c.570 – c.475 BCE) was a Greek philosopher, poet, and social and religious critic. Our knowledge of his views comes from fragments of his poetry, surviving as quotations by later Greek writers. To judge from these, his elegiac and iambic poetry criticized and satirized a wide range of ideas, including Homer and Hesiod, the belief in the pantheon of anthropomorphic gods and the Greeks' veneration of athleticism. He is the earliest Greek poet who claims explicitly to be writing for future generations, creating "fame that will reach all of Greece, and never die while the Greek kind of songs survives.")

The Best Poem Of Xenophanes

War Memories

In winter, sprawled on soft cushions,
replete and warm, munching on chick-peas
and drinking sweet wine by the fire…
that is the time to ask each other:

As if to Odysseus:
'Who, from where, and why, art thou?'

- Or with a wink:
'And how many years are on your back, Bold-Heart?'

-Or, quietly:
'Had you yet reached man's estate, when the Persians came?'

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