from Sappho fragment 146, translated by Willis Barnstone
I care for neither honey
nor the honeybee
translated by Mary Barnard
It is clear now:
Neither honey nor
the honey bee is
to be mine again
from Sappho fragment 146, translated by Willis Barnstone
I care for neither honey
nor the honeybee
translated by Mary Barnard
It is clear now:
Neither honey nor
the honey bee is
to be mine again
I suspect that the first translation above is the one closer to the poet’s original intention. This is also worth citing:
“Neither honey nor bee for me”.
Even if Barnard took liberties, I like hers better. It expresses a kind of grief that I feel about the spreading colony collapse disorder that threatens bees.
They use quorum sensing to find a new home. Maybe they’ve found a better home, away from our mistreatment?