Virtual Read-Aloud. The Garden of the Nymphs, Sappho.

Virtual Read-Aloud: “The Garden of the Nymphs,” Sappho

All around through the apple boughs in blossom murmur cool the breezes of early summer . . .

Sappho (c. 630 – c. 570 BC) was an Archaic Greek poet, lauded as one of the greatest poets of any age. Sometimes referred to as the “Tenth Muse” and “The Poetess,” Sappho’s surviving works predominately include lyric poetry with subjects of love, family, and religion.

Translated into English by the American poet John Myers O’Hara, Sappho’s poem “The Garden of the Nymphs offers a richly sensory scene of a floral landscape in early summer.

Want to read along? Click here to read the poem on Project Gutenberg.

Sound effects included in this video were downloaded from Freesound.org and incorporated in accordance with the Creative Commons Attributions License. No copyright infringement and/or commercial usage is intended.

Thank you to the Friends of the Bloomfield Township Public Library for sponsoring the closed captioning of this video.

A new read-aloud will be published every month on the Adult Services Vimeo page, so keep an eye out for new titles! Material selected for these read-alouds are in the public domain and are sourced from Project Gutenberg, so that listeners can read along if they would like.