A critically acclaimed poet and classicist presents a dramatic new translation of the poetry of Sappho, presenting all the extant fragments that exist of the ancient poet's works in both English and the original Greek and furnishing an incisive introduction to Sappho's life and times. Reprint. 12,500 first printing. By combining the ancient mysteries of Sappho with the contemporary wizardry of one of our most fearless and original poets, If Not, Winter provides a tantalizing window onto the genius of a woman whose lyric power spans millennia. Of the nine books of lyrics the ancient Greek poet Sappho is said to have composed, only one poem has survived complete. The rest are fragments. In this miraculous new translation, acclaimed poet and classicist Anne Carson presents all of Sappho's fragments, in Greek and in English, as if on the ragged scraps of papyrus that preserve them, inviting a thrill of discovery and conjecture that can be described only as electric-or, to use Sappho's words, as "thin fire . . . racing under skin." "Sappho's verse has been elevated to new heights in [this] gorgeous translation." --The New York Times"Carson is in many ways [Sappho's] ideal translator....Her command of language is hones to a perfect edge and her approach to the text, respectful yet imaginative, results in verse that lets Sappho shine forth." --Los Angeles Times Introduction On Sappho ix On the Text x On Marks and Lacks xi If Not, Winter 1(356) Notes 357(27) Who's Who 384(9) Appendix: Some Exemplary Testimonia 393