Stands stripped of shadow's grace,
And like a stone unwrought,
His body is rough and gaunt,

Something that naked, bare, and nude
Roams in the thrice-wide spaces,
Something whose life is told in flames
That light beneath his eyelids,
Akin to the old Satyrs' breed
And tameless like a beast,
A singer silver-voiced,
Flee not in fear! 'Tis I!

The Satyr! I have taken here
Roots like an olive tree,
And with my flute deep-sounding,
I make the breezes languish.
I play and lo, all things are mated,
Love giving, love receiving.
I play and lo, all things are dancing,
All: Men and beasts and spirits!

ATHENS, THE CENTRE OF GREECE

So much of the natural atmosphere of Athens and Attica. But the
Athenians themselves, their thoughts, life, and dreams have not proved
less important nor less effective for the poet's growth. The spiritual
and intellectual currents moving the Greek nation of today start from
this city. Here politics, poetry, and philosophy are still discussed in
the old way at the various shops, the coffee houses, and under the plane
trees by the banks of Ilissus. The "boule" is the centre of the
political activity of the state. The University with its democratic
faculty and still more democratic student body is certainly a "flaming"
hearth of culture. Only, its flames are sometimes so ventilated by
current events and political developments that the students often assume
the functions of the old Athenian Assembly. In the riotous expression of
their temporary feelings, the students are not very different from the
ancient demesmen. In my days, at least, the most frequent greeting
among students was "How is politics today?", with the word "politics"
used in its ancient meaning. Any question of general interest might
easily be regarded as a national issue to be treated on a political
basis. Thus it happened that when the question of language was brought
to the foreground by Pallis' vernacular translation of the New
Testament, the students took up arms rather than argument.

Into this world, the poet came to finish his education. In one of his
critical essays (_Grammata_, vol. i), he tells us of the literary
atmosphere prevailing in Athens at that time, about 1879. That year,
Valaorites, the second great poet of the people's language, died, and
his death renewed with vigor the controversy that had continued even
after the death of Solomos,