Wine-Dark Sea (Greek poetry)

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea presents a sequence of Greek poems in the form of a metaphorical voyage in time from Ithaca (Cavafy’s poem, 1910) back to the Odyssey (c. 700 BC), followed by excerpts from Odysseus’s literal return-voyage to the shore of Ithaca.

Zip file of everything

Introductory notes

This performance was given informally, without a programme.

Script

  • PDF, Word file
  • Script with English translations: Word file
  • Translation of Aeschylus Agamemnon 650–73: PDF
  • Translation of Homer Iliad 19.395–424: PDF
  • Translation of Homer Odyssey 13.71–80, 88–92, 183–200: PDF
  • Translation of Homer Odyssey 15.101–8, 123–8, 217–21, 289–95, 297–8, 296: PDF

Slides

Further reading

  • Rationale of the readings: Word file
  • Two photos of performers at the first performance (in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge): PDF