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| Anonymous Attic Greek artist Nike crowning Panathenaic charioteer (votive relief dedicated to Athena, formerly owned by Lord Elgin) 430-20 BC marble British Museum |
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| Anonymous Roman artist The Westmacott Athlete (formerly owned by sculptor Richard Westmacott) 1st century AD marble British Museum |
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| Anonymous Roman artist Athlete (formerly in Palazzo Farnese, Rome) AD 100-60 marble British Museum |
Dilemma
"Dark and amusing he is, this handsome gallant,
Of chamois-polished charm,
Athlete and dancer of uncommon talent –
Is there cause for alarm
In his smooth demeanor, the proud tilt of his chin,
This cavaliere servente, this Harlequin?
"Gentle and kindly this other, ardent but shy,
With an intelligence
Who would not glory to be guided by –
And would it not make sense
To trust in someone so devoted, so
Worshipful as this tender, pale Pierrot?
"Since both of them delight, if I must choose
I win a matchless mate,
But by that very winning choice I lose –
I pause, I hesitate,
Putting decision off," says Columbine,
"And while I hesitate, they both are mine."
– Anthony Hecht (2011)
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| Anonymous Roman artist Discophorus (body from Hadrian's Villa, Rome; head copied from statue in the Vatican Museums) AD-160 marble British Museum |
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| Anonymous Roman artist The Vaison Diadumenos (found in the Roman Theatre at Vaison-La-Romaine in southern France) AD 118-138 marble British Museum |
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| Anonymous Roman artist The Vaison Diadumenos AD 118-138 marble British Museum |
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| Anonymous Roman artist The Vaison Diadumenos AD 118-138 marble British Museum |
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| George Howard, 9th Earl of Carlisle Academic study of Discophorus (statue or cast) ca. 1864-65 drawing British Museum |
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| Charles Townley (collector) Discophorus in Sala della Biga, Vatican ca. 1768-1805 drawing British Museum |
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| Anonymous Attic Greek artists Footrace 333-32 BC black-figure amphora (Panathenaic Prize) British Museum |
Virginity
One must be brave to live through
a day. What remains
is nothing but the pleasure of longing – very precious.
Longing
purifies as does flying, strengthens as does effort,
it fashions the soul
as work
fashions the belly.
It is like an athlete, like a runner
who will never
stop running. And this
gives him endurance.
Longing
is nourishing for the strong.
It is like a window
on a high tower, through which
blows the wind of strength.
Longing,
Virginity of happiness.
– Anna Swir (1909-1984), translated by Czeslaw Milosz and Leonard Nathan (1996)
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| Anonymous Attic Greek artists Footrace (detail) 333-32 BC black-figure amphora (Panathenaic Prize) British Museum |
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| Anonymous Attic Greek artists Footrace (detail) 333-32 BC black-figure amphora (Panathenaic Prize) British Museum |
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| Anonymous Attic Greek artists Footrace (detail) 333-32 BC black-figure amphora (Panathenaic Prize) British Museum |
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| Anonymous Attic Greek artists Footrace (detail) 333-32 BC black-figure amphora (Panathenaic Prize) British Museum |
Poems from the archives of Poetry (Chicago)