| Dionysios Solomos (1798 - 1857) |
 One
of the many towering figures in the arts and letters coming from Zakynthos,
most distinct one is Dionysios Solomos, the national poet of Greece, who
was born on the island in 1798. At the age of nine, he lost his father
and his guardian sent him to study in Italy. In 1818, he returned to Zakynthos
and began writing in Greek, somewhat reserved since it was Italian he used
until then to express himself. From his poetic works, most famous is his Hymn
to Liberty, the two first stances of which constitute the National
Anthem of Greece. He also wrote exceptional lyrical poetry as well as satirical
verses.
HYMN TO LIBERTY
Libertà vo cantando, ch’è si cara
Come sa chi per lei vita rifiuta
Dante
We knew thee of old,
Oh, divinely restored,
By the lights of thine eyes
And the light of thy Sword.
1
From the graves of our slain
Shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again-
Hail, Liberty! Hail!
2
Long time didst thou dwell
Mid the peoples that mourn,
Awaiting some voice
That should bid thee return.
3
Ah, slow broke that day
And no man dared call,
For the shadow of tyranny
Lay over all.
4
And we saw thee sad-eyed,
The tears on thy cheeks
While thy raiment was dyed
In the blood of the Greeks.
5
Yet, behold now thy sons
With impetuous breath
Go forth to the fight
Seeking Freedom or Death.
6
From the graves of our slain
Shall thy valour prevail
As we greet thee again-
Hail, Liberty! Hail!"
(Translated by Rudyard Kipling,
1918)
|
To Francesca Fraiser
Epigramm
Young the prophet, his eyes cast upon a maiden
in his thoughts, unbeknownst, utters with joy:
“And if it were for thine feet, Milady, or thine head
Lilies the stone would grow, the Sun a golden wreath
No gift exists for Thee and for thine inner opulence.
A world of beauty and morale that angels moulded. |
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