On “Prayer to Artemis”
As with most of the poems in After Callimachus (2020), to which my Greek Anthology versions are a kind of mini-sequel or pendant, these lines of English are hardly an accurate translation (such things, for these poems, already exist). Instead, I tried to create a new poem faithful to elements of the original: in this case, a prayer that Artemis, goddess of quests and hunters and independence and bands of women and other found family, protect or preserve or imitate a lighthouse, preserving a piece of land and the people, especially children, who live on that land. No other Greek divinity, I think, could provide such security along with so much outdoor fun.
Read the poem this note is about, “Prayer to Artemis.”
Stephanie (also Steph; formerly Stephen) Burt is a poet, literary critic, and professor. In 2012, the New York Times called Burt “one of the most influential poetry critics of [her] generation.” Burt grew up around Washington, DC and earned a BA from Harvard and PhD from Yale. Burt’s books include We Are Mermaids (2022), After Callimachus (2020), Advice from the Lights (2017), Belmont (2013), Parallel...