Assyrian Athens: Epigrams of “Anthologia Palatina” About Ancient Phoenician cities (Beirut, Tyre, Sidon)

Abstract

C.P. CAVAFY (1863-1933), the most important Greek poet of the XXth century - perhaps the most important poet of this century on an international level - wrote in 1920 his poem «Young Men of Sidon (A.D. 400)". The poem refers to an imaginary recital of poetry that took place in ancient Sidon and it is written in a dramatic form. This means, of course, that it may be considered as a charming one-act play or more probably as a "tableau vivant": Ο ηθοποιὸς ποὺ ἔφεραν γιὰ νὰ τοὺς διασκεδάσει ἀπήγγειλε καὶ μερικὰ ἐπιγράμματα έκλεκτά. Η αἴθουσα ἄνοιγε τὸν κῆπο επάνω κ'εικε μιὰν ἐλαφρὰ ἐνωδία ἀνθέων ποὺ ἑνώνοταν με τὰ μυρωδικά τῶν πέντε ἀρωματισμένων Σιδωνίων νέων. Σιαβάστηκαν Μελέαγρος σαὶ Κριναγόρας και Ριανός.