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
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.
One mystery solved - thanks!
I’m sifting through book reviews to see if anyone comments on the vertical bars. All mention the brackets.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.)
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.
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.
Speaking of Sappho I found this very amazing database of all of her fragments here.
Be warned, this database is extremely detailed. Also, I’ve constructed a ‘distraction free’ Sappho based on the Loeb edition. This is a Sappho edition that is for those who just want to accept whatever text an expert has decided on and do not want to be plagued by textual problems. It removes all of the distracting symbols and has only the words that Sappho wrote or that a single expert inferred she wrote. If you’re interested send me a PM
Unfortunate that this was compiled in 2018, so it doesn’t include any of the pieces that have come to light since then, which have revolutionized the field.
Can you list their titles? There’s some dude that’s coming out with an edition in Oxford or Cambridge I think this year. I’ve written to him asking when it’s coming out but he won’t respond.
Sounds like you’re talking about P J Finglass who’s working on a new critical edition. When the edition does come out, you may have to mortgage your house to buy it. 
I’ll be queueing up at the bookstore at 5am on the day it releases.
