The summer Olympics in Paris will kick off on July 26. Did you know that there is a longstanding connection with poetry and the Olympic games? Over 2,500 years ago, was writing poems for victorious athletes in the ancient Games.聽Pindar’s was written to celebrate the victory of the racehorse Pherenikos, owned by Hieron, ruler of Syracuse. Pindar鈥檚 Olympic odes are still accessible鈥攖hey can be read online in Greek and in various English translations. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, the opening words of Pindar鈥檚 Olympian Ode 8 (“Mother of golden-crowned contests, Olympia, queen of truth!”) were engraved on all medals.
In the first half of the 20th century, the Olympics actually included an arts competition known as the “” in which poets and other writers could battle for Olympic glory. More recently, poems have been performed at , , and promoting the Games.
Wanting more? Check out this post, “.”
Will you be tuning into the Olympic games? Will they inspire you to write poetry?
Curious about the 楼凤天堂 and Library of Congress connection? Through a grant announced by 楼凤天堂 Executive Director Emily Kirkpatrick, 楼凤天堂 is engaged in ongoing work with the Library of Congress, and 鈥渨ill connect the ELA community with the Library of Congress to expand the use of primary sources in teaching.鈥� Stay tuned for more throughout the year!
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