Diane J. Rayor is a professor of classics whose work centers on translating ancient Greek poetry and drama. Her efforts are dedicated to making timeless texts accessible to contemporary readers while preserving their literary beauty and depth. Rayor's translations are valued for their fluency and fidelity to the original, opening doors for readers into the world of ancient literature. Her academic and translational contributions foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of classical works.
The Homeric Hymns have survived for two and a half millennia because of their captivating stories, beautiful language, and religious significance. This book incorporates twenty-eight new lines in the first Hymn to Dionysos, along with expanded notes, a new preface, and an enhanced bibliography.
Sappho sang her poetry to the accompaniment of the lyre on the Greek island of Lesbos over 2500 years ago. Throughout the Greek world, her contemporaries composed lyric poetry full of passion, and in the centuries that followed the golden age of archaic lyric, new forms of poetry emerged. In this unique anthology, today's reader can enjoy the works of seventeen poets, including a selection of archaic lyric and the complete surviving works of the ancient Greek women poets—the latter appearing together in one volume for the first time.Sappho's Lyre is a combination of diligent research and poetic artistry. The translations are based on the most recent discoveries of papyri (including "new" Archilochos and Stesichoros) and the latest editions and scholarship. The introduction and notes provide historical and literary contexts that make this ancient poetry more accessible to modern readers.Although this book is primarily aimed at the reader who does not know Greek, it would be a splendid supplement to a Greek language course. It will also have wide appeal for readers of' ancient literature, women's studies, mythology, and lovers of poetry.