Three years since Giorgos K. Psaltis’s ‘Panagies Elenes’.

To mark the third anniversary of the publication of Giorgos K. Psaltis’s poetry collection *Panagies Elenes*, we recall the outstanding reading of the poem *Panagies Elenes*, I, by director Stathis Livathinos (at 7:05 in the video below) at the ‘Music and Poetry’ cycle at the Athens Concert Hall.  Panagies Elenes, I Hecuba weeps ― it matters not at all at this hour, whilst the victors laugh, drunk on wine, unaware of who has served it to them. A naked lord approaches her, holding on a lead a ―naturally― naked dog.The former queen strips away the flowers that, along with the season, her generation brought forth—a generation already defeated in a war not decided by any battle. The verse ‘Thus they buried Hector, the horse-tamer’ concludes the Iliad. Achilles is about to die; this is clearly stated. Not a single word about the Trojan Horse. Heroes die, politics continues, and the gods. The dog drags—with its teeth—the one whom future generations will be unable to determine if or when he existed.The lord is dressed appropriately.  *Giorgos K. Psaltis’s new poetry collection, Esena, will be published this autumn by Ikaros.