Sappho to Valéry

Nims is graced with a meticulous ear for poetic sound effects as they work to give a poem the uncanniness of a true voice. He knows, therefore, how much in a poem refuses to cross the language border. The wonder remains how much he is yet able to smuggle across" —John Ciardi, Saturday Review

"[Nims] is an extraordinary man, a passionate scholar combining wit and perfectionism in a rare mix that makes this book a treasure for student and general reader alike." —Maxine Kumin, Boston Sunday Globe

"John Frederick Nims’s book of poems in translation, Sappho to ValÉry, is handsome and impressive. . . . All of the poems are presented en face, with a brilliant commentary and informative introductions illuminating the problems and the solutions of a modern translator. Nims is not only on the side of the angels, he is on the side of the seraphim." —Philip Murray, Poetry