Page 1 of 1

Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 4:53 pm
by MaverickNH
Carson’s translation of Sappho “If Not Winter” explains that the brackets are missing text, but ther are also other unexplained symbols in the Greek text. Vertical bars and small “L” shapes (and backwards “L” shapes) strewn about.

Might anyone know what those symbols might imply?

BRET

Image

Image

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 5:36 pm
by jeidsath
Your two images are from Sappho 1 and Sappho 2.

For the first at the beginning:

Πο⌟ικίλοφρο⌞ν

The codex actually has:

**]ικιλοθρο[*

With the letters ι and θρο being marked uncertain in Campbell, though apparently not here.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 6:59 pm
by MaverickNH
One mystery solved - thanks!

I'm sifting through book reviews to see if anyone comments on the vertical bars. All mention the brackets.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Sun Jun 30, 2024 8:01 pm
by jeidsath
In fragment 2, at least, the vertical lines are the line breaks in the Florentine ostrakon.

I suspect that Carson took them over from her source text (Voigt).

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2024 10:55 am
by nate.a
Of the various sigla used in classical texts, half brackets indicate a 'non-conjectural integration', i.e. an integration provided another source.
In this case, the fragmented text is P.Oxy. 2288.

The rest of the line is 'integrated' from remaining sources (primarily Dion. Hal., but also 3 other grammatical works).

Anyway, they are signs mostly for the specialist (papyrologist, I guess). Some feel they should be done-away with in non-specialist publications (and one particularly vocal British scholar insists they should be removed from our editions altogether) since they can distract or confuse the reader.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2024 11:57 am
by jeidsath
Oh, you're right. Campbell is doing <"text" source: "text" source:>, and I thought he was doing <source: "text"> like an OCT. His apparatus, properly interpreted, says: "ποικιλόθρονʼ, ποικιλόφρων in the codices (or similar), ]ικιλοθρο[ in a papyrus"

You could ditch all of the critical marks if it wouldn't drive editors mad with the license.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Mon Jul 01, 2024 8:32 pm
by mwh
So your mysteries are mysteries no longer. Just one small papyrological correction: the fragment of Sappho 1 is not from a codex but from a papyrus roll.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2024 10:38 pm
by MaverickNH
The facing Greek is quite nice, for the most part, in Carson’s “If Not, Winter” - even if the brackets, dots and bars raise distractions.

My latest mystery is that fr 22.6 “if not, winter” is the book title, but does not rate a Note. What’s that about?

I’m enjoying reading Sappho but find the commentaries available very “dense”. Are there any commentaries I might have missed that are more "student guide" level?

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:59 pm
by mwh
Once again, no real mystery. “if not, winter” translates a broken line in a papyrus of Sappho’s poems (P.Oxy.1231) that goes εμηχειμων, supplemented by Wilamowitz to read αι δ]ε μη χειμων[, correctly or not. αι δε μη means “and if not” and χειμων means “storm” or “winter.” I guess Carson chose it as the title of her book because of its erotic suggestiveness.

All Sappho’s poetry is fragmentary, surviving only in quotations and bits and pieces of papyrus manuscripts. (And by no means all of it was erotic.)

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Thu Feb 06, 2025 10:47 pm
by MaverickNH
I thought I might look for an online course on Sappho this year. The offerings I’ve found thus far are . . . esoteric. While there was an erotic/emotional element to her work, I struggle to find a connection between Sappho, fiber art and queer studies. Fine for those that do.

If anyone comes across a more mundane course on Sappho, please let me know.

Re: Carson’s Sappho “If Not Winter” Symbols?

Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2025 12:35 am
by mwh
It’s not hard to see connexion between Sappho and queer studies. Fiber art is another matter, except that much of Sappho's artistic output depends on papyrus fibers; its survival was a matter of materiality.

I don’t know what online courses are currently offered, but I expect there are some. Two experts worth following are Margaret Williamson and André Lardinois.