A comparison between A. Sikelianos and K.G. Karyotakis

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The article below was originally written in the form of an undergraduate assignment for the Greek Open University in 2006, during a period when the author's academic skills were still under development. Although the quality of this article does not match the quality of later examples of the same author's work, it is written in a thorough manner and contains useful information to nowadays students and other readers with non-specialised knowledge; therefore, it has been proudly included on this website.

The reader needs to be warned that the original assignment, on which this article was based on, was written in Greek and was intended to be read by specialised academics. Despite the author's best intentions to present his essay in the clearest way possible, some points and arguments might still be lost in translation. The author recommends that for any unknown words or specialised vocabulary, the readers should refer to the web for additional information.

The author admits that the bibliography for this article is limited, matching the requirements of an undergraduate assignment of this level. The author did not include any additional bibliography during the translation of his work in English due to time and access limitations. It must also be noted that the original bibliography for this article was studied from translated copies in Greek; therefore, the page numbers suggested in the citations below match the page numbers of the translated copies and not the original volumes.

Introduction

This article discusses two specific compositions of Greek poetry by A. Sikelianos and K.G. Karyotakis. The poem Sacred Way (Iera Odos = Ιερά Οδός) was written by Angelos Sikelianos in 1935, and the poem Preveza, named after the homonymous town in Western Greece, was written by Kostas Karyotakis in 1928, the same year he committed suicide. The article discusses the approach of the two poets; their psychological background; their style; and finally, the way they employ and interpret their external stimuli, which are images and scenes taken from daily life.

Sacred Way by A. Sikelianos

The poem Sacred Way (Iera Odos) by Angelos Sikelianos belongs to his mature creations, written in 1935 as part of his series Lyrics B’ (Politis 2003, 242). His mature phase is characterised by his recent failure to revive his ‘Delphic Idea’, which led to a thematic shift in his compositions towards the meta-physical dimensions of life (Vogiantzoglou 2000, 179-80).

Sacred Way is written in a typical lyric tone noted in almost every composition by Sikelianos, which transcends positivity and harmony. Sikelianos employs a pompous style and he uses a complex syntax, which evokes a majestic tendency to the reader (Vogiantzoglou 2000, 179-80). The composition begins with a symbolic and pompous simile, where the sun penetrates the poet’s heart as the waves penetrate a sinking ship (verses 1-6). The road towards one’s internal journey, which is a personal psychological quest, is described in verses 7-13 as the Sacred Way leading from Athens to Eleusis, the ancient place of initiation in the human mysteries. The symbolisms by Sikelianos are built with historical reference to the Classical antiquity, which is projected on the modern world.

The poet participates in this experience as an eye-witness and describes images that fill the reader with a sense of mysterious euphoria: the river runs; the carriages pass by; nature is beautiful and quiet (verses 14-22). This tranquil picture is suddenly interrupted by an incident that takes place in verses 28-96: a gipsy appears in this peaceful scenery, dragging around two chained-up bears. Here, the gipsy by Sikelianos becomes a counter-reference to the Twelve Commandments of the Gipsy by Kostis Palamas (Ο Δωδεκάλογος του Γύφτου), a poem written in 1907 (Vogiantzoglou 2000, 183). The concepts of slavery, violence and pain are described by Sikelianos in verses 76-77 as “a huge martyr-symbol for the entire world, current and past” (“μαρτυρικό τεράστιο σύμβολο όλου του κόσμου, τωρινού και περασμένου”). Demetra, an ancient goddess, Alcmene, the mythological mother of Hercules, and Holly Mary, a Christian figure, are all united in the face of mother-bear in verses 48-80. The presence of religious and mythological characters is typical of the Second Poetic Period of Angelos Sikelianos, placed between 1917 and 1934, which is characterise by a form of religious concurrence (Vogiantzoglou 2000, 185-6).

The poet’s positive mood is temporarily interrupted in verses 96-102, when “darkness penetrates one’s soul as waves penetrate the sinking ship”. This feeling, although dark and pessimistic, is cancelled in verse 107, where the poet hears a whisper of hope for the future and concludes: “it will come”! This specific prediction is a symbol of retribution and final victory. It relates to an esoteric resurrection, which despite the difficulties of life, comes through the overcoming of all obstacles during the human struggle to improve tomorrow. This positive approach by Sikelianos reflects an influence by Friedrich Nietzsche’s theories on the Übermensch (Superman), presented in his Also Sprach Zarathustra in 1883 (Vogiantzoglou 2000, 182).

Sikelianos is inspired by a combination of stimuli from contemporary life and fictional images from the ancient Greek past. This material is put together in a symbolic manner to reference the ancient Greek initiation rituals of the Eleusinian Mysteries. More specifically, Sikelianos grasps on an scene of animal torture, where the gipsy inflicts pain and humiliation to the chained bear. This scene symbolises the tortures and humiliations of the Greek nation, which have been suffered as part of a sacred initiation journey towards national revival. This journey takes place along Sacred Way, the ancient road which connected Athens and Eleusis during Classical antiquity. Although the process of revival is sad and unpleasant, it demands a superhuman effort from its participants, which carries the messages of hope and final success.

Preveza by K.G. Karyotakis

Preveza is written by Kostas Karyotakis during his last days and is characterised by a negative evaluation of life in favour of death. The poem’s title suggests that this was written sometime between April 1928, when Karyotakis was transferred to Preveza, and his final suicide on the 21st July of the same year (Garantoudis 2000b, 209).

The composition in written in a dark and heavily pessimistic language, where the word ‘death’ repeats seven times within the first three stanzas. The poet’s source of inspiration is his own depression due to his boring and toxic everyday life at the small town of Preveza in 1928. In verses 1-4, Karyotakis uses ‘dark’ symbols to stress his pessimistic and death-seeking mood, such as the crows and the black-coloured walls. Karyotakis’ poetic irony is achieved through the use of a naive rhyme between the words onions and roof tiles (“κεραμίδια – κρεμμύδια”), which add a silly tone to his seriously pessimistic introduction. Another thematic contrast is noted in verses 5-9, where the poet stresses the paradoxic futility of his everyday life. There, the “dirty, insignificant streets” of Preveza appear to carry “bright, glorious names”. The poet’s personal statement of non-existence comes with a direct question in verse 18: “Do I exist? You say, and then, you don’t exist!” (”υπάρχω;” λες, κι ύστερα: “δεν υπάρχεις!”).

Karyotakis’ mental condition and psychological fluctuations are affected by the behaviour of the inhabitants of Preveza. The attitude of these people produces him the same depressive effect as the surrounding scenery. Some of the events described in the poem are also noted in a letter by Kostas Karyotakis, written to his cousin Th.D. Karyotakis on 22nd June 1928 (Garantoudis 2000, 241-2). The letter contains information that repeat in the poem’s verses 9-20, suggesting that Preveza was inspired by real events and was not the construction of Karyotakis’ poetic imagination.

The information relates to insignificant events from his daily life in Preveza, which are meant to stress the poet’s boredom: the police commander wraps half a portion of food in a paper wrapping and weighs it (verses 9-10); the local school teacher is reading a newspaper (verses 11-12); the town’s municipal band will play on Sunday (verses 13-14); a deposit of thirty drachmas in the poet’s bank account (verses 15-16) stresses his financial insecurity; and finally, the unrest in the local community caused by the visit of the Head of the Prefecture (verses 19-20). Such images derive from Karyotakis’ personal and professional experience as a public servant. He even borrows words from the vocabulary of government administration, such as “Base, Garrison, Sixty-Men Command of Preveza” in verse 13 (“ Βάσις, Φρουρά, Εξηκονταρχία Πρεβέζης”.

Verses 9-20 contribute to the poem’s ironic approach as they contrast with the highly symbolic verses 1-8 of the first two stanzas. More specifically, verses 9-20 deal with the poet’s everyday reality in a raw, direct, realistic and sarcastic manner. The climax of Karyotakis’ depressing mood is noted in the last stanza, where he suggests his impending suicide:

“If at least one of those people
died from disgust...
Silent, sad, with humble manners,
we would all have had fun during the funeral” (verses 21-24) .

(“Αν τουλάχιστον, μέσα στους ανθρώπους
αυτούς, ένας πέθαινε από αηδία…
Σιωπηλοί, θλιμμένοι, με σεμνούς τρόπους,
Θα διασκεδάζαμε όλοι στην κηδεία”).

Conclusions

A comparison between the two poems by Angelos Sikelianos and Kostas Karyotakis suggests major differences in their approach and broader psychological mood. Sikelianos is a optimist and writes in a pompous style by employing complex means of poetic expression. He wishes to project a positive outcome, therefore, he employs the philosophical ideas behind Nietzsche’s Superman, who overcomes the obstacles of life and is successful in all his endeavours. Sikelianos realises the problems but focuses on the positive outcomes of life; he wishes to share hope and he reminds the readers that persistence leads humans to an esoteric resurrection.

By contrast to Sikelianos, Kostas Karyotakis uses a ‘dark’ and death-embracing language. He is a pessimist and stresses the futility of every aspect of human life, suggesting that the quest of one’s final retribution is only possible through death. His means of expression and his poetic tone reflect the attitude of a coursed poet, who lives exiled on society’s margins and collides with the existing social norms of his time. His model of the poète maudit coincides with the disappointed public servant, who has been transferred to a small town in punishment for his marginal behaviour.

Although Sikelianos and Karyotakis represent different poetic approaches towards life, they share common preferences in the use of symbolism for the interpretation of their external stimuli. Sacred Way by Sikelianos refers to the modern reality but its source of inspiration comes from Classical antiquity. The poet employs his external images in a symbolic manner to show their connection with the ancient Greek mysteries. He stresses the value of personal initiation in a higher and more advanced form of conscious living, which comes in the form of an ancient ritual. By contrast, Karyotakis adopts familiar images from his daily routine in Preveza to demonstrate the pessimistic and futile nature of his everyday life. There is brief use of symbolism in the first two stanzas, which are followed by a direct and realistic reference to his daily reality. This reference functions in an ironic manner and ‘lands’ his poetic symbolism on the futility of a boring daily routine. For Karyotakis, this form of urban life in a small town is pointless; therefore, Preveza functions as an announcement of his impending suicide.

Bibliography

Beaton, R., 1996, An Introduction to Modern Greek Literature: Poetry and Prose, 1821-1992 , translated by Sgourou, E. and Spanaki, M., Athens: Nepheli.
Garantoudis, E., 2000, ‘The poetry by K.G. Karyotakis’, in Garantoudis, E. (ed.) Lertters II: Modern Greek Philology (19th and 20th century). Modern Greek Literature (19th and 20th century). Study Manual, Patra: Greek Open University, 207-24.
Karyotakis, K.G., 1928, Preveza, available at: Garantoudis, E. (ed.) Letters II: Modern Greek Philology (19th and 20th century). Anthology of Modern Greek Literature, Patra: Greek Open University, 241.
Politis, L., 2003, The History of Modern Greek Literature, 13th edition, Athens: Morphotiko Idryma Ethnikis Trapezis.
Sikelianos, A., 1935, Sacred Way (Ιερά Οδός), available at: Garantoudis, E. (ed.) Letters II: Modern Greek Philology (19th and 20th century). Anthology of Modern Greek Literature, Patra: Greek Open University, 209-11.
Vogiantzoglou, A., 2000, ‘The poetry by Angelos Sikelianos’, in Garantoudis, E. (ed.) Letters II: Modern Greek Philology (19th and 20th century). Modern Greek Literature (19th and 20th century). Study Manual, Patra: Greek Open University, 179-87.

Useful links

Καρυωτάκης, Πρέβεζα:
https://www.greek-language.gr/digitalResources/literature/tools/concordance/browse.html?cnd_id=6&text_id=1099
Σικελιανός, Ιερά Οδός:
http://users.uoa.gr/~nektar/arts/tributes/aggelos_sikelianos/iera_odos.htm
Παλαμάς, Ο Δωδεκάλογος του Γύφτου:
http://ebooks.edu.gr/ebooks/v/html/8547/2700/Keimena-Neoellinikis-Logotechnias_A-Lykeiou_html-empl/indexG1_2.html