World Day of Poetry in the Island of Poets
The 21st of March is the World Day of Poetry and a special day for Lefkada. The Greek island of poets. For example, Lafkadios Hearn who was born in Lefkada in 1850, is also one of the national poets of Japan. However, Angelos Sikelianos is the most famous poet of Lefkada. He was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature from 1946 until 1951. Unfortunately, he never won the coveted honour due to bad interferences to the committee of that time.
The Philologists Association of Lefkada together with the Circle of Athens Poets, celebrate the World Day of Poetry this Sunday on 20th of March. In particular the venue of the event will be in the Faneromeni Monastery.
The Delphic Idea
Angelos Sikelianos and his first wife Eva Palmer, focused to promote the solidarity of people all over the world and of mutual respect. The Sikelianos couple believed that Delphi could actually serve as a focal point for this global understanding, due to the Amphictyony. Amphictyon was the brother of Helen of the Trojan war. He founded Amphictyony league to support the temples of Olympus Gods, Apollo and Demetra. The temples were in Delphi and Thermopylae respectively. Both Angelos and Eva built a house in the region of Delphi and prepared to revive those celebrations first in 1927 and later in 1930. Unfortunately the entire endeavour exhausted them financially and soon led them to separation. If you are on vacations in Lefkada then you should visit the Sikelianos Museum. Angelos Sikelianos envisioned the Delphic idea which for him concentrates all the human values of Ancient Greek Civilization.
Freedom, humanity, brotherhood, peace, prosperity and unity were the universal human values of Ancient Greeks. So, for Sikelianos these values should be the same today. Hence, with all that said, let’s pray for peace in Ukraine with a few verses of an Angelos Sikelianos poem.
A branch, the hand of Apollo,
The plane tree’s polished, broad bough,
Spread above you, may it bring you
The universe’s immortal peace.