Episode 18: Silenus

This episode is devoted to the poem “Silenus”. The protagonist is the Greek sculptor Scopas, who lived in the 4th century BC. In the poem, a young Scopas discovers the statue of a silenus in a quarry on his native island of Paros. Sileni were mythical creatures similar to satyrs, and companions of the god Dionysus. When Scopas looks into the eyes of the Silenus, he has a vision of the myths and figures he will later sculpt in marble. The poem, therefore, offers a reflection on the Dionysian nature of artistic creativity.

In this episode, Elena Borelli discusses “Silenus” with Ann Ward. The two poems start at minute 28.04.

From Giovanni Pascoli, Convivial Poems. Translated by Elena Borelli & James Ackhurst. New York: Italica Press, 2022. Copyright 2022 by Elena Borelli & James Ackhurst. Used by permission of Italica Press.