Episode 01: Solon

Solon is the first poem in the book Poemi Conviviali. Set in ancient Athens, during a banquet in the house of Athenian statesman and poet Solon, the poem weaves together several fragments of archaic Greek poetry, and is centred on the figure of Sappho, the famous poetess from Lesbos. Sappho sings two songs, one of love, and one of death.

In this episode, Elena Borelli discusses Solon with James Ackhurst. The poem starts at minute 30.20.

From Giovanni Pascoli, Convivial Poems. Translated by Elena Borelli & James Ackhurst. New York: Italica Press, 2022. Copyright 2022 by Elena Borelli & James Ackhurst. Used by permission of Italica Press.