Oxyrhynchus Remains…
2. Time Eats Poetry
and Sappho sorely suffered from that devoration…
There were many libraries in the ancient world
and libraries are often the victims of war
& the ancient libraries were virtually all rubbed out of the
tracks of time
When Ceasar set fire to the fleet in Alexandria’s harbor
the flames accidentally destroyed one of the big libraries
Around 391 AD, Christians destroyed the books in the Serapeum,
another big library in Alexandria
It is alleged that when the Muslims seized Egypt
the ancient manuscripts were used to heat the
water in the baths
They’re not sure today exactly where
the Great Library at Alexandria was located.
Though war hates books, poets are sometimes fascinated with it
but you won’t find any talk of war in the
shreds of Sappho,
but rather the melodies of love, tenderness, family,
partying, arousal, longing, sadness and fun.
Some say that the most beautiful thing
on the darkling earth
is a stroton of horsemen, others a stroton of troops
and yet others a stroton of ships
but to me the most beautiful
is the one whom someone loves.
~ by shantam on October 27, 2007.
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