Poetry : Ancient, Classical & Medieval

Bawdy and biting epigrams, freshly translated, ready for enjoyment. One of literature’s greatest satirists, Martial earned his livelihood by excoriating the follies and vices of his time, and set a pattern that satirists have admired and imitated across the ages. Born in Spain, Marcus Valerius Martialis (c. 40–102 CE), known in English as Martial, went to Rome as a young man to win fame and fortune. At the height of his career he published a book of scathing social commentary every year--1,500 poems in all, of which Wills translates about a third. This exquisite translation from acclaimed author Garry Wills does not sacrifice the cleverly constructed effects of Martial’s short and shapely thrusts. Martial’s Epigrams make addictive reading and a perfect--if naughty--gift. more...

Price: $15.00

This rich and lively anthology offers a broad selection of Middle English poetry from about 1200 to 1500 C.E., including more than 150 secular and religious lyrics and nine complete or extracted longer works, all translated into Modern English verse that closely resembles the original forms. more...

Price: $12.95

Rumi, who wrote and preached in Persia during the thirteenth century, was inspired by a wandering mystic, or dervish, named Shams al-Din. Rumi's vast body of poetry includes a lengthy poem of religious mysticism, the Mathnavi, and more than three thousand lyrics and odes. A.J. Arberry, who selected four hundred of the lyrics for translation, calls Rumi "one of the world's greatest poets. In profundity of thought, inventiveness of image, and triumphant mastery of language, he stands out as the supreme genius of Islamic mysticism.". "An excellent introduction to Rumi, the greatest mystical poet of Islam. . . . Rumi's scope, like that of all great poets, is universal—reaching from sensuous luxuriance to the driest irony."—Sherman Goldman, East-West Journal. more...

Price: $14.00

"I feel that I have spent half my career with one or another Pelican Shakespeare in my back pocket. Convenience, however, is the least important aspect of the new Pelican Shakespeare series. Here is an elegant and clear text for either the study or the rehearsal room, notes where you need them and the distinguished scholarship of the general editors, Stephen Orgel and A. R. Braunmuller who understand that these are plays for performance as well as great texts for contemplation." (Patrick Stewart). The distinguished Pelican Shakespeare series, which has sold more than four million copies, is now completely revised and repackaged. Each volume features:. * Authoritative, reliable texts. * High quality introductions and notes. * New, more readable trade trim size. * An essay on the theatrical world of Shakespeare and essays on Shakespeare's life and the selection of texts more...

Price: $7.00

From an Egyptian mummy has come an exciting discovery of previously unknown Greek literature. The newly-discovered papyrus containing over 100 epigrams by the Hellenistic poet Posidippus is artefactually the earliest known Greek poetry book. This volume contains a new translation of Posidippus' poetry as well as essays about the papyrus by experts in the fields of papyrology, Greek and Roman literature, Ptolemaic history, and visual culture. - ;The Milan Papyrus ( P. Mil. Volg. VIII. 309), containing a collection of epigrams apparently all by Posidippus of Pella, provides one of the most exciting new additions to the corpus of Greek literature in decades. It not only contains over 100 previously unknown epigrams by one of the most prominent poets of the third century BC, but as an artefact it constitutes our earliest example of a Greek poetry book. In addition to a poetic translation of the entire corpus of Posidippus'. poetry, this volume contains essays about Posidippus by experts in the fields of papyrology, Hellenistic and Augustan literature, Ptolemaic history, and Graeco-Roman visual culture. - ;the search for the perfect book on Posidippus has now a model --one with mature, well-argued, and well-documented, sometimes ingenious contributions. It should be read widely and imitated by worthy successors. - Antonios Rengakos, Bryn Mawr Classical Review;...a lot of subtle thought has been expended by many of the essayists. - Alan Griffiths, Journal of Hellenic Studies 126, Reviews of Books 141-4;...too large and too diverse a collection to be assessed in brief ... core reading for anyone interested in any aspect of this find. - Greece and Rome;The volume...greatly improves our understanding of the "New Posidippus"...[and] [t]he graphic work of the volume is careful and elegant, enriched by splendid pictures of the papyrus. - Claudio De Stefani, Classical World more...

Price: $60.00