|1 You with pattern-woven flowers, immortal Aphrodite, |2 child of Zeus, weaver of wiles, I implore you, |3 do not devastate with aches and sorrows,|4 Mistress, my heart! |5 But come here [tuide], if ever at any other time |6 hearing my voice from afar, |7 you heeded me, and leaving the palace of your father, |8 golden, you came, |9 having harnessed the chariot; and you were carried along… Read more
One of the texts we are reading in the community is the beautiful Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite. Quoting an eighteenth-century adventurer, Casanova, might seem an odd start to a classical study. It is clear in the Hymn that the mighty goddess will say whatever it takes to consummate her Zeus-given passion for the Trojan prince Anchises. Read more
|1 He appears [phainetai] to me, that one, equal to the gods [īsos theoisin], |2 that man who, facing you |3 is seated and, up close, that sweet voice of yours |4 he listens to, |5 and how you laugh a laugh that brings desire. Read more
When I tell people about the HeroesX project or learning ancient Greek, I mostly see an implicit question mark on their faces. They kindly swim around the question, “What are you going to do with it?” Let’s face it: no one is speaking ancient Greek—let alone Homeric Greek—and knowledge of the Iliad and Odyssey may not impress most employers. The question of "why" is a valid one. Read more
